Energy Sector Updates - January 2022

The Electricity and Natural Gas Law no. 123/2012 ("Energy Law") was amended recently via the Government Emergency Ordinance no. 143/2021, with the main purpose of transposing the provisions of the Directive (EU) 2019/944 on common rules for the internal market for electricity and amending Directive 2012/27/EU ("Directive 2019/944") and of ensuring compliance with Regulation (EU) 2019/943 on the internal market for electricity ("Regulation 2019/943").

The enactment of the aforesaid government emergency ordinance ("GEO no. 143/2021") was long overdue, given that the deadline for transposing the Directive 2019/944 into the domestic legislation expired on December 31, 2020, Romania being formally notified by the European Commission to this end.