Brussels, 20/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - Libya has formally requested to join MEDREG, an association that brings together the energy regulators of 20 countries in the Mediterranean basin. It is based in Milan and enjoys the support of the Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER). Membership by Libya, which is a major energy producer in the region, is good news for MEDREG, which held its 15th annual general assembly in Alexandria (Egypt) on 5 June.
MEDREG President Michel Thiollière was upbeat about last year's activity. He spoke of the importance of the energy sector in the Euro-Mediterranean zone. According to Thiollière, the countries of the southern rim of the Mediterranean are major players in the European short- and medium-term energy scenarios. In order to explore the energy potential of the Mediterranean, it will be necessary to have sound regulation and to gradually open up markets in a way that is suited to the region, he stressed. The association has approved the new action plan for the 2013-2015 period, and this has brought about the decision to develop the role of MEDREG as a centre for energy resources working for an Euro-Mediterranean energy community by 2020. According to a press release, MEDREG is making an inventory of all the technical and operational aspects that may promote long-term investment in energy. A study is being carried out, a first draft of which will be presented during the ministerial Euro-Mediterranean energy conference to be held in Brussels on 11 December 2013. A technical seminar is envisaged in September this year in Brussels and a forum has also been announced, to be held in Barcelona at a date still to be fixed. Pending these major events, the general assembly discussed supply security and the way Mediterranean regulators may considerably improve demand-oriented management. (FB/transl.jl)