++43 664 849 83 30 janez.kopac@gmail.com

Dr. Janez Kopač

Energy consultant

“Energy is the most cross-cutting topic of human life with its mechanical, legal, economic, environmental, and political aspects. I can help you understand better all of them”

Work with me
Dr. Janez Kopač
Signal, Viber, WhatsApp: ++43 664 849 83 30

My Story

I am a highly-qualified professional in energy, climate, and environmental sector management with rich experiences in EU institutions and with public and private stakeholders in South-Eastern Europe, Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia. I was in managerial positions in some energy sector companies and in public positions on national and international level. I am an economist by education, holding a Master’s degree in economics, specializing in budget management, and a Ph.D. in political science specializing in the EU’s external policy.

Zoran Zaev, Prime Minister of North Macedonia, 13 July 2021

»With Janez Kopač’s personal engagement over the last several years,
Energy Community Secretariat
became a respectable and recognized organization in the Western Balkan region.«

Albin Kurti, Prime Minister of Kosovo, 8 June 2021

»I already have had a chance to cooperate closely with Mr.Janez Kopač and his team and have an
excellent experience from that cooperation.«

Staša Košarac, Minister for Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 24 May 2021

»Mr. Kopač is widely respected by key energy-related stakeholders in both entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. His personal engagement in solving the energy policy framework-related problems in a
complicated environment of three constitutive nations is almost legendary.«

Natia Turnava, Minister of Economy of Georgia, 10 March 2021

»Mr.Kopač’s direct, dedicated, and constructive engagement in the country-specific reform activities including the accession of Georgia into the Energy Community strengthens Georgia’s desire and trust to continue reforming the sector in line with the EU energy market principles consistently and
unwaveringly.«

Prof.dr. Zdravko Krivokapić, Prime Minister of Montenegro, 8 March 2021

»We have demonstrated true commitment to the European and decarbonisation path, which would not be possible without close and very efficient cooperation with the Secretariat under the leadership of Mr.
Janez Kopač. Guidance provided by the Secretariat and Mr.Kopač personally regarding energy sector
management dilemma is a truly indispensable asset, whether given directly to decision makers or
publicly, in national language where appropriate.«

Professor Dr. Zorana Mihajlović, Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, 8 March

»I know Mr.Kopač since 2012. He manages the Secretariat very successfully, although it is often very challenging. His extensive experience in energy and finance is crucial for the successful running of the Secretariat. Also, his negotiating skills have often made a big difference and reconciled opposing stances of the Parties.«

Yuriy Vitrenko, CEO of Naftogaz, Ukraine,

“Mr. Kopač and his team have been a synonym for energy market reforms in Ukraine. He is respected by authorities and stakeholders in the energy field for his knowledge, expertise, dedication, passion, managerial and negotiation skills.”

Mark Copley, CEO EFET, 17 March 2021

“Thanks to Mr.Kopač’s great soft skills, and his sound knowledge of the energy industry he has been able to help to co-ordinate various work streams and has succeeded to get matters moving in terms of creating regional markets in the sometimes challenging environment of diverging interest of the various Energy Community States.”

Christian Baer, Secretary-General, Association of European Energy Exchanges, 19 March 2021

“I know Mr. Kopač for many years and have worked with him on several occasions. He has a highly professional and effective working style, as well as a thorough knowledge of energy markets and the wider energy system. Just as importantly, he has a thorough understanding of the respective regulatory frameworks of the EU and the Energy Community Contracting Parties and an excellent grasp of the regional challenges.”

Marko Bislimoski, President of the Energy Community Regulatory Board, 10 March 2021

“Mr.Janez Kopač has given his professional, unconditional and sustainable effort in leading the organization on the highest achievable level and distinguishing the Energy Community from other organizations.”

Why Work With Me?

My rich experience in energy, climate, and environmental sector management and in cooperation with EU institutions and with public and private stakeholders in South-Eastern Europe, Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia enabled me an excellent understanding of those environments and a rich network of managers, politicians, NGOs, think tanks.
I was in managerial positions in some energy sector companies and in the public sector such as: Member of the Parliament, Director of the Directorate in the Ministry of Economy, Minister of Finance, Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy inter alia. I held the position of the Director of the Energy Community Secretariat, based in Vienna over three consecutive terms (2012-2021). Chairing this international organization engaged me in the transposition and implementation of the energy, renewables, energy efficiency, environmental, and oil stocks acquis in daily interaction with Ministries, Members of the Parliament, Energy Regulators, and the European Commission.

 

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Qualifications

j

Bachelor of Science

Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana, 1987

Master’s degree

in economics, Faculty of Economics, University of
Ljubljana, 1997

Thesis: Budget Management

h

Ph.D.

in political science, Faculty for Social Science

Thesis: Foreign Energy Policy of EU, US, Russia, andChina through a prism of neo-functionalism, University of Ljubljana, 2021

Experience

  • Councillor, AGEN RS, Slovenian national regulatory authority, June 2023 –
  • Consultant to different think tanks, companies, and ministries in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia,
    Moldova, Slovenia, and Ukraine, based in Vienna, Austria, January 2022 –
  • Director of the Secretariat, Energy Community, Austria, December 2012 – November 2021
  • Advisor, ASA leasing d.o.o. (financial sector), Bosnia and Herzegovina, August 2012 – October 2012
  • Non-executive Director of Geoplin d.o.o. (Slovenian gas incumbent), 2009 – 2011
  • Director of the Directorate for Energy, Ministry of Economy, Slovenia, December 2008 – February 2012
  • Non-executive Director of ELES d.o.o., Slovenian electricity transmission system operator, 2005 – 2006
  • Procurator, En trading d.o.o. (oil trading company), Slovenia, December 2005 – November 2008
  • Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning, and Energy, Slovenia, December 2000 – November 2004
  • Chair of the Budget and Public Finance Committee, Member of the Parliament, Slovenia, April 1990 –
    November 2000
  • Member of the Presidency of State Youth Organisation, Slovenia, May 1988 – April 1990
  • Financial Analyst, Iskra Delta (the computer company), Slovenia, January 1987 – April 1988
  • Intern, Skovby Special Salg, Denmark, 1986
  • Intern, Queen’s University, Canada, 1985
  • Intern, Bayer, Germany, 1984

Companies & People I’ve Worked With

European Parliament:

ITRE Committee

European Parliament:

ITRE Committee

European Commission:
DG ENER, DG NEAR, DG TAXUD, DG ENVI

  • Commissioners: Guenther Oettinger, Miguel Arias Canete, Maroš Šefčovič, Kadri Simson
  • Directors and Deputy Directors-General: Dominique Ristori, Gerassimos Thomas, Klaus Dieter
    Borchardt, Mechtild Woersdoerfer
Presidents, Prime Ministers:

Edi Rama – Albania,
Milo Djukanović,
prof.dr. Zdravko Krivokapić – Montenegro,
Albin Kurti – Kosovo,
Zoran Zaev – North Macedonia,
Aleksandar Vučić,
Ana Brnabić – Serbia,
dr.Robert Golob – Slovenia,
Petro Poroshenko,
Denys Schmyhal,
Volodymyr Groysman – Ukraine

Ministers for Energy, Deputy Ministers:

Damian Gjiknuri,
Belinda Balluku – Albania,
Mirko Šarovič,
Staša Košarac – Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Natia Turnava – Georgia,
Valdrin Lluka,
Dr.Artane Rizvanolli –Kosovo,
Valeriu Lazar,
Octavian Calmic,
Constantin Borosan – Moldova,
Dragica Sekulić,
Mladen Bojanić –Montenegro,
Kreshnik Bekteshi – North Macedonia,
Aleksandar Antić,
prof. dr.Zorana Mihajlović – Serbia,
Volodymyr Demchyshyn,
Ihor Nasalyk,
Yuriy Vitrenko,
German Galushenko – Ukraine

National Energy Regulators:

ERE – Albania,
SERC – Bosnia and Herzegovina,
GNERC – Georgia,
ERO – Kosovo,
ANRE – Moldova,
REGAGEN – Montenegro,
ERC – North Macedonia,
AERS – Serbia,
AGEN RS – Slovenia,
NEURC – Ukraine

Electricity and gas incumbents:

Elektroprivreda FBiH, Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske – Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Elektroprivreda Crne Gore – Montenegro,
Makedonski energetski resursi – North Macedonia
Srbijagas – Serbia,
GEN-I – Slovenia,
Naftogaz, DTEK – Ukraine

Books

Foreign Energy Policy of European Union in a Comparative Perspective, Ljubljana, 313 pages

Purchase eBook, 15€

In the study, I tried to explore how characteristics of energy supply in each of the four global
superpowers (EU, US, Russian Federation, People’s Republic of China) influences their foreign energy
policy, which out of the three elements of energy policy (competitiveness, security of supply,
sustainability) primarily reflects it and how and if different forms of foreign energy policy regional
initiatives can be explained with the theory of neo-functionalism.

Prirodoverje (coauthor Marko Hren), Ljubljana, 2021, 67 pages

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The book explains the faith of our ancestors and suggests Slovenians lean on their own identity. It builds on the biggest Slovenian poet Prešeren’s call to rehear nations’ "own faith and order" in the poem Krst pri Savici. On the one hand, the book sings glory to all the aboriginal people of the world, who, despite oppression, have managed to maintain the memory on the Nature Centred Faith in rituals, architecture, poems, toponyms, tales, and customs. 

Čezsoča – vas upornikov (zgodbe o Čezsoči), Ljubljana, 2021, 120 pages

Purchase eBook, 15€

The name of the village literally means” on the other side of the Soča river”. Therefore, the name was
most probably given by the people living on the Bovec side. In the past, it had its own local community;
nowadays, with a population of only around 300, it is part of the local community Bovec. It is located
366 meters above sea level, some 120 m lower than the neighboring Bovec.

Med’n in Medanci skozi čas,
Ljubljana 2013, 72 pages

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Village Medno is already some 3.000 years old. Squeezed between Sava river and Medno hill had an important strategic position. Its character and its activities were always strongly influenced by the road between Ljubljana and Carinthia, and in the last century also by a railroad. There were several traders, armies, and travelers passing by and designing interesting stories.  

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Dr. Janez Kopač

Signal, Viber, WhatsApp

++43 664 849 83 30

Email

janez.kopac@gmail.com