This paper discusses the effects of the implementation of the EU electricity acquis in the Energy Community (EnC) Contracting Parties, where the social, economic and political conditions are different from those in the old EU Member States. The liberalization of the electricity industry has had an important impact on social issues such as tariff reforms as well as affordability in these countries. To balance this impact, the EnC countries must be able to use mechanisms from the EU electricity acquis such as Public Service Obligation (PSO). This paper assesses whether the PSO provisions from Directive 2003/54/EC have been properly used as a regulatory tool aimed at addressing the impact of the liberalization of the electricity sectors in the Contracting Parties, or whether its only served as a justification to excessively regulate the end-users’ electricity prices.