Ukraine starts final Cluster 4 screening session

On Tuesday, 8 July, Ukraine started meetings with the European Commission as part of the screening of the approximation of Ukrainian legislation to EU law under negotiating Chapters 15 Energy and 21 Trans-European Networks. The screening meetings will last for two days, on 8 and 9 July, and are the final ones under Cluster 4, Green Agenda and Sustainable Connections.

The Ukrainian delegation is headed by Chief Negotiator, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna.

In her speech, she noted that in the energy sector and trans-European networks, Ukraine has already demonstrated that it is a strong player in the European market, as well as a country that has made significant efforts over the past decade to bring its rules and regulations in line with EU market rules.

"This approach allowed us to make decisions at the beginning of the full-scale invasion that helped the country survive. Today, the Ukrainian legal framework in the energy sector is strong and progressive at all levels. And I hope that today will be a good opportunity to demonstrate this," said Olha Stefanishyna.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that despite Ukraine's commitment to implement all the necessary EU legislation on time, some elements would still require additional time and transition periods.

"The further transformations we will implement are closely linked to the realities of martial law. That is why it is critical for us to be as precise as possible in what we do. Ukraine cannot afford an informal reform process driven only by strict deadlines. We need structured, high-quality decisions and a high level of momentum in the negotiation process. I hope we can take the next step as soon as possible and open the first negotiating clusters," the Deputy Prime Minister said.

The official thanked the representatives of the European Commission, the Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST), as well as the Ukrainian team for their daily work, which brings our country closer to EU membership.

On 8 and 9 July, Ukrainian experts will present Ukraine's progress in the following areas:

• Energy Efficiency;
• Energy Efficiency in Buildings;
• Gas Markets;
• Security of Supply;
• Renewable Energy;
• Trans-European Networks;
• Electricity Markets;
• Energy Labelling and Ecodesign;
• Nuclear Energy.

Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine Mykola Kolisnyk, Deputy Minister of Energy for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalisation Roman Andarak, representatives of the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, NEURC, Ukrgasvydobuvannya, Ukrenergo, the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine, etc. are taking part in the screening.

Negotiated Chapter 15 Energy includes EU policies in the field of competitiveness, security of energy supply and environmental protection. The EU acquis in this area consists of rules and policies, in particular on competition and state aid (including in the coal sector), the internal energy market (opening up electricity and gas markets, promoting renewable energy sources), energy efficiency, nuclear energy and nuclear safety and radiation protection.

Chapter 21 Trans-European Networks covers trans-European network policy in the areas of transport, telecommunications and energy infrastructure, including EU guidelines for the development of trans-European networks and support measures for the development of projects of common interest. The creation and development of trans-European networks, as well as the promotion of proper interconnection and interoperability of national networks, aim to take full advantage of the EU's Internal Market and contribute to economic growth and job creation in the European Union.