Protest against the Proposed Changes in the Law on Energy and Waterways
“Voice for Light” civic association, at the press conference held yesterday, presented their opposition to the proposed changes and amendments in the Law on Management of Waters and the Law on Energy.
According to the representatives of the association, there are no enough arguments to support the proposed changes in the current Law on Energy, especially having in mind that the Government announced that it prepares a new Law on Energy, due for parliamentary procedure in October of this year. For that reason, “Voice for Light” association proposed to the Government to revoke the Proposed Law on Changes and Amendments to the Law on Energy, and to prepare a completely new and consistent Law on Energy instead. The reasons for the opposition to the proposed changes and amendments to the Law on Management of Waters lie in the fact that exploitation of water, as the greatest national treasure, should not be leased on concessions covering periods of 30, 50 or 70 years. Leasing the water sources through direct negotiations, without a proper tender competition, is a source for possible corruption. The Government, obviously, is anti-corruption oriente only on declarative level. The association believes that the longest possible period for concessions for use of waters in Macedonia should not exceed 25 years, as is the accepted global practice. Also, it is necessary to conduct a comparative analysis of the provisions on compensation fees and the concession periods, with the corresponding EU legislation, as well as the legislation in the countries candidates for EU membership. |
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