Rationale

The Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI) launched, in November 2015, the Mediterranean Forum on Electricity and Climate Change, a permanent discussion platform among countries, international organisations, regulators and electricity companies. The purpose of the Forum is to raise awareness about the benefits of Mediterranean energy market integration to support the transition to a low-carbon economy and to disseminate knowledge on the issues to be addressed to successfully achieve regional electricity market integration. Forum events cover issues such as the role of Mediterranean integration in the implementation of the Paris Agreement, the benefits of regional energy market integration for renewable energy scale-up and barriers to building interconnectors to achieve Mediterranean energy market integration.

The Energy Union strategy aims at ensuring a secure, affordable and sustainable energy supply to all Europeans and acknowledges that regional market integration is key to achieving its energy transition objectives at minimum cost. In November 2016, the European Commission adopted the ‘Clean Energy for All Europeans’ (CE4ALL) package, aimed at further completing the internal market for electricity and implementing the Energy Union. The European Parliament and the Council are currently examining the Package, with a view to having it finally adopted in the coming months. The Package primarily aims at the European internal energy market. However, the EU is not isolated and the Package may have repercussions for the neighbouring countries. Moreover, the EU supports the objective of integrating the Mediterranean electricity market through cooperation structures such as Med-TSO (the Association of Mediterranean Transmission System Operators) and MedReg (the Association of Mediterranean Energy Regulators).

The Workshop Context and Objectives

Mediterranean energy market integration improves power system flexibility, and therefore facilitates the large-scale development of renewable energy into the power systems of interconnected countries. In particular, it supports the exploitation of the vast solar energy potential of the countries of the southern Mediterranean, not only to serve their home markets, but also to competitively supply European markets that have ambitious CO2 reduction objectives, in line with those of the Paris Agreement.

The objectives of the workshop are to inform the southern Mediterranean countries on the CE4ALL Package and to improve their understanding of its implications for their electricity and renewable energy markets. The workshop will provide a concise presentation of the different documents comprising the CE4ALL Package, focusing on the proposed Renewable Energy Sources Directive, the proposed Directive for the internal electricity market and the proposal for a Regulation on the electricity market, so that stakeholders in southern Mediterranean countries deepen their understanding of the implications of the CE4ALL Package for the development of their renewable energy potential. The workshop discussions will lay the basis for assessing the requirements for the establishment of an integrated Euro-Mediterranean electricity market.

Agenda

Presentations

• Prof. Dr. Mario Ragwitz, Deputy Head, Competence Center Energy Policy and Energy Markets, Head, Renewable Energies Business Unit, Fraunhofer-Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI, Germany: The RE Dir Proposal: The Role of Market Mechanisms and Cross-Border Exchanges in Meeting the Targets [English]
• Pierre Loaec, Policy Officer, Renewables, DG-ENERGY, European Commission: The Renewable Energy Directive Proposal  [English]
• David Newbery, Director, Energy Policy Research Group, Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Cambridge: Designing an Electricity Wholesale Market for Significant Renewables' Penetration: Lessons from the UK  [English]
• Matti Supponen, Principal Administrator, Internal Energy Market, DG ENERGY, European Commission: The Proposed Electricity Directive and Regulation: Market Design for a Low-Carbon Electricity Sector  [English]
• Asari Jane Efiong, Senior Policy Manager, “Financial Instruments” Unit, Directorate General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG-NEAR), European Commission: The EU's External Investment Plan: A Game Changer to Mobilise the Private Sector for Development Cooperation [English]

Video

Watch the video recording of the workshop in English or French, on the European Commission’s website here.

Event's Photos