The energy ministers of nine EU Mediterranean countries (Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain) pledged at the second MED9 ministerial summit on energy in Cyprus on Monday 23 September to continue working together to tackle climate challenges and ensure a “secure and affordable clean energy” supply in the region.
They recognised the importance of implementing cross-border projects to promote peace and stability in the region, and to complete the development of a green energy cluster, “which is expected to contribute towards the creation of job opportunities and the transfer of knowledge, thus strengthening our industrial competitiveness”.
The ministers also discussed the establishment of the MED9 Energy Steering Committee as the official platform for planning and supporting energy-related activities.
In particular, it aims to obtain the support of the European Commission for the preparation of comprehensive studies on how to transform the Mediterranean region into a corridor for green energy trade between EU and non-EU countries.
In particular, the MED9 countries have undertaken to examine the creation of synergies between the various national authorisation procedures for renewable energy projects in order to facilitate “the deployment of potential cross-border projects, while minimising the administrative burden for investors”.
To see the joint declaration: https://aeur.eu/f/djg (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)