On 29 April 2026, representatives of Public Association “Energy Union” participated in the online event “State of Play of Electricity Markets under CBAM”, organised by the Energy Community Secretariat, during which the first quarterly report on the impact of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on electricity markets of the Energy Community Contracting Parties was presented.
Key findings of the report:
Following the introduction of CBAM on 1 January 2026, significant changes have been observed in cross-border electricity trading between the European Union and the countries of South-Eastern Europe.
In the first quarter of 2026, electricity flows between the EU and the Western Balkans deviated from historical trading patterns, resulting in two major trends.
First, the volume of commercially scheduled cross-border electricity exchanges decreased by 25% across borders with EU Member States.
Second, day-ahead electricity prices in the Contracting Parties were on average €30/MWh lower than in neighbouring EU markets.
Despite the availability of cheaper and often lower-carbon electricity, new regulatory costs and uncertainty have started to constrain exports and distort market signals.
For Ukraine, this issue is of particular importance, as the country is moving towards integration with the EU internal electricity market and the development of cross-border electricity trading.
Public Association “Energy Union” will continue to actively participate in international professional dialogue on the practical implementation of CBAM, access of Ukrainian electricity to the EU market, and prevention of discriminatory barriers for Ukrainian market participants.