Chania, on the island of Crete, Greece, will host the very first Clean Energy for EU Islands Forum on 22 September.
Launched by the European Commission and 14 member states – Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain and Sweden (see EUROPE 11791) – on the sidelines of the informal meeting of EU energy ministers in Valletta, Malta on 18 May this year, this initiative seeks to accelerate the transition to clean energy of more than 2,700 islands in Europe, helping them to reduce their high energy costs, increase their energy security, encourage the uptake of renewable energies and promote innovative energy technologies.
Speakers at the event will include Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, European Energy and Climate Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete and Director of the Commission’s DG Energy Dominique Ristori. The first meeting will feature round-table discussions on the decarbonisation of the EU’s islands and related finance issues and will showcase current best practices and new projects in the areas of renewables, research and innovation, and energy efficiency. For more information, go to: https://goo.gl/U239nG (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)