The Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, Senator Lhou Lmarbouh (Morocco), addressed the Ministerial Conference “Building a Euro-Mediterranean energy bridge: the strategic importance of euro-med gas and electricity networks in the context of energy security”, convened by the Italian Presidency of the European Union and the European Commission, and held in Rome on 19 November 2014. Participants included Ministers of Energy representing EU Member States and Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Countries, as well as high officials, parliamentary institutions, industry representatives and key stakeholders in the energy sector.
The main issues discussed during the Ministerial Meeting included, inter alia, the necessity to differentiate resources and suppliers, the interconnections needed to strengthen political stability, the importance of the environment, the potential benefits from the recent discovery of gas in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the need for a clear set of rules to increase cooperation.
In his intervention, the PAM Vice-President highlighted the role of parliamentarians in creating the right environment at the national and regional level to work towards common and integrated legislative platforms conducive to a more coordinated process in the regulation, development and stability of the energy sector. “A holistic approach in the production, transmission and distribution of all energy sources is required in order to create the conditions for political, economic and social development in all countries in the Mediterranean”, Sen. Lmarbouh added. PAM through its Panel on Investments and Trade in the Mediterranean will continue to carry forward its networking project also to stimulate the setting up of regulators, where they are lacking, and through which countries can build channels of cooperation and integration of the energy sector.
“PAM will continue to support, through the Energy Group of its Panel, all initiatives aimed at strengthening the sector, which is evolving very fast and which also needs to do so within the context of prevailing environmental and climate change issues”, the PAM Vice-President concluded.
At the end of the Conference the final statement confirmed that there is broad agreement among the Euro-Mediterranean Countries on the importance of regional energy cooperation for ensuring secure, affordable and sustainable supply, which is a key factor for underpinning stability and shared prosperity in the Mediterranean area.
Meanwhile, Eng. Alessandro Ortis, Co-Chair of the PAM Panel, participated at the Med-TSO General Assembly, held in Rome on 18 November 2014. On this occasion PAM reiterated the full support to the activities of Med-TSO in promoting integration and interconnections in the electricity sector. PAM also welcomed the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Med-TSO and MEDREG, which are two of the PAM main partners on energy related issues in the promotion of the Mediterranean Energy Community.