It is not known whether protests will resume, but dissatisfaction certainly remains.

This is the prevailing mood among large businesses regarding the announcement of the second wave of energy market liberalization, which is expected to begin on April 1.

The biggest complaint concerns the unresolved problem of unexpected power outages, which caused damage to machinery and equipment during the first wave.

“While even the court, in its latest ruling, identified numerous violations that occurred during this process, I don’t see the logic of proceeding now with a second phase. What is even worse is that since December last year, businesses that entered what they call the open energy market — which we call a forced energy market — have faced extremely harsh power cuts, without any prior notice. They have suffered significant damages. First, there were damages related to workers, because in the absence of electricity and without an alternative supply plan — generators, for example — companies could not keep workers on site and sent them home, while still paying them. Secondly, we have several reports that due to these power cuts there have been burnouts and major damages to facilities. Most of the businesses that entered the so-called free market in the first phase are large companies, and the vast majority are manufacturing businesses. Sudden power interruptions caused damage to facilities worth thousands of euros, as they involve new installations and new machinery,” said Kushtrim Ahmeti, Director of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Furthermore, Ahmeti said that decisions by the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO/ZRRE) were made without consulting businesses and warned that the second phase could bring similar consequences.

“We received information about this issue some time ago and officially approached the ERO to understand exactly what their plan is for the second phase of liberalization. Since the first phase was carried out the way it was, and we are seeing all the damage that followed, we requested clarification on which businesses will now be included in the second phase. If businesses with up to 50 employees and up to 10 million euros in annual turnover were included in the first phase, who will suffer from these secretive and arbitrary decisions taken by the ERO in the second phase? To this day, we have received no response, and I do not expect one, because they acted the same way during the first phase last year, showing no willingness to cooperate. Everything was done secretly, just as it is being done now. It is a great misfortune that we do not have institutions that would urgently hold those currently leading the ERO accountable,” Ahmeti said.

Fisnik Kryeziu, Director of Frutex Shpk, recalled the delayed notification his manufacturing company received when it was moved to the free market during the first phase.

“We must not repeat the mistakes of the first phase, which was rushed and treated as a done deal. Now we need to learn from those mistakes and engage in a more serious discussion. All stakeholders must agree, and only then should the Energy Regulatory Office make a decision based on their interests. Everything must be done with careful, concrete steps that do not conflict with the law or cause destabilization. The process should function in support of businesses, not against them. No external party is making decisions for us — we decide based on regulations and laws. This authority should not be abused by the ERO by making decisions without consulting stakeholders,” Syla said.

Meanwhile, the Energy Regulatory Office confirmed to KosovaPress that the second wave will begin on April 1, but did not say whether businesses have already been informed, nor whether there is a solution to unplanned power outages.

“The Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) is continuing the process of electricity market liberalization in accordance with current legislation and under the same principles, conditions and criteria applied last year. The second phase of liberalization is planned to begin on April 1, 2026. Regarding concerns about power outages during December affecting consumers in the free market, ERO is aware of these cases and addresses them within its regulatory competencies. However, these issues do not affect the continuation of the liberalization process, which will be implemented as planned and in line with the existing legal and regulatory framework.”

According to the ERO, there are currently 9,535 metering points operating in the open market, supplied by six different licensed suppliers operating in a competitive market.