The energy sector in Central and South Eastern Europe is facing an important period of change and development. The current credit and economic crisis, the ensuing fall in energy demand, regulatory disruptions and the continuing drive toward common energy market combine into a cocktail of major uncertainties and challenges for power and gas traders in this region.

Power traders are grappling with declining allocations of cross border transmission capacity, while at the same time trying to understand how a change to flow based calculation and allocation may work out in future. National electricity markets continue to display markedly different structural characteristics at the wholesale level, in spite of regulators’ efforts to bring about harmonisation.

Meanwhile the next phase of European gas market liberalisation, bringing stricter unbundling rules, may mean restructuring of the regional gas industry will gather pace. More immediately the Russia-Ukraine gas crisis at the start of 2009 suddenly put the issue of energy security back at the top of the agenda.

The Energy Trading Central and South Eastern European conference (“ETCSEE”) on 3 and 4 June addresses these and other critical issues affecting traders in the region and the potential profitability of their businesses.

The CEE and SEE electricity trading sessions and the pan-regional gas trading session provide an exclusive opportunity to:

· Learn about the EU Strategic Energy review; and what it means for Eastern European Member States five years after their accession

· Understand implementation of the third package of EU Internal Energy Market Legislation

· Discover trading energy in Eastern Europe in an era of government interference in markets

· Discuss price developments in the light of the economic recession, counterparty risk, and export related transmission fees

· Participate in the discussion during the special Traders-TSOs panel and the Regulators panel in the electricity trading sessions

· Find out the opportunities for cross border intraday and balancing power trades

· Hear how the European Commission intends to tackle the issue of developing a competitive single EU gas market and at the same time ensuring security of supply. Nowhere in Europe is this challenge more difficult than in Central and South East Europe.

· Learn how trading opportunities are changing in the aftermath of the Russia/Ukraine gas crisis. Will investment proposals in a time of economic recession be determined by political requirements for pipelines and strategic storage?

· Debate on regional gas markets and how they could be integrated to provide both improved liquidity and security of supply

· Network with over 300 industry experts