11 July 2023 – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) contributed to the opening session of the Workshop organized by the World Energy Council (WEC) Italy on its Med Cross Regional Collaboration Initiative. PAM President Emeritus, Hon. Gennaro Migliore (Italy), represented the Assembly.
WEC Italy is currently coordinating the network of WEC National Committees in organizing a series of debates and workshops with key regional stakeholders, analyzing the development of the transition processes currently taking place in the Enlarged Mediterranean area.
In its final stage, the Initiative aims at developing a “Mediterranean Energy Transition Checklist”, a working paper, identifying challenges and priorities on energy security and transition in the region.
Keynote speakers included senior regional experts, such as the Secretary General of MED-TSO, Mr Angelo Ferrante, and Ms Roberta Boniotti, Secretary-General of MEDENER.
In his address at opening session, Hon. Migliore recalled that the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf region is faced with several unprecedented challenges, further exacerbated by the Climate Emergency and the impact of the Russian aggression against Ukraine.
In the current geopolitical landscape, he recalled, ensuring a well-designed and carefully planned energy transition plan will have a twofold objective: while aiming at mitigating the effects of climate change, it will also unlock the Mediterranean potential and reinforce its energy security.
For this reason, PAM is currently working on the establishment of the Permanent Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf Parliamentary Conference on Renewable Energy, which will be presented at the next PAM Economic Forum of Marrakesh (14-15 December 2023).
PAM remains committed to fostering regional cooperation with all the relevant stakeholders of the Euro-Mediterranean and the Gulf, while ensuring that the regional concerns are adequately addressed at the most important international appointments, including the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York next September, and the COP28 in the UAE next December.//