On 11 July 2013, representatives of the national regulatory authorities (ERÚ, ÚRSO, HEA, URE and ANRE), transmission system operators (ČEPS, SEPS, MAVIR, PSE, and Transelectrica) and market operators/power exchanges (OTE, OKTE, HUPX, TGE, and OPCOM) from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Romania signed the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation with respect to Romania's and Poland's adhesion to the integrated day-ahead electricity markets of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

The Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary have been successfully operating coupled dayahead electricity markets (so called CZ-SK-HU Market Coupling) since 11 September 2012. Romania and Poland decided to join the trilateral project in order to benefit from the integration and to contribute to the development of the single European Internal Electricity Market. Coupling the national electricity markets based on the target model – Single Price Market Coupling used for the day-ahead electricity trading and implicit cross-border transmission capacity allocation –should bring a harmonised approach to market organisation, more effective usage of crossborder transmission capacities, more competition as well as more stable and convergent electricity wholesale prices and deeper market liquidity.

This pentalateral project of market coupling is called 5Market Market Coupling (5M MC). It will be developed in accordance with European targets and the future EU legislation taking into account the views and demands of the affected market players as well. The wording of the Memorandum of Understanding is attached to this press release .