Brussels, 05/11/2007 (Agence Europe) - In Sharm El Sheikh on 1 November, the European Commission and Egypt hosted a meeting of high-level officials from 68 countries of the EU, the Middle East and Africa, major players from the energy sector and representatives of international financial institutions, to discuss joint policies and challenges in the field of energy security. Under the aegis of European Commissioners Benita Ferrero-Waldner (External Relations) and Andris Piebalgs (Energy), and Egyptian Ministers Ahmed Aboul Gheit (Foreign Affairs), Sameh Fahmi (Oil) and Hassan Ahmed Younes (Electricity), this meeting saw discussions - stressing questions of joint interest in the field of trans-regional cooperation in the field of hydrocarbons, renewable energies and energy efficiency - of details for energy cooperation between the EU, Africa and the Middle East, to reinforce the security of regional provision, fight climate change and improve access to energy services. On this occasion, the representatives of the Commission announced the EU's determination to extend its network of energy partners on the basis of bilateral partnerships and regional initiatives, particularly with Egypt, with which the Commission is putting together a memorandum of understanding. The conclusions of the conference will be taken into account in the EU-Africa energy partnership, which will be inaugurated at the EU-Africa summit, to be held in Lisbon this December.
Agreement on priorities for EU-Jordan energy cooperation. On the sidelines of the conference, the EU and Jordan signed the joint declaration defining the priorities of their energy cooperation. This document will be used as a framework for bilateral cooperation, particularly into priority fields of action, consolidating the Jordanian policy on sustainable energy development (promoting integrated management of energy demand and development of renewable energy sources) and the provision of technical aid, aiming to establish a legislative and regulatory framework in Jordan, in order to promote stricter standards for nuclear safety. (E.H.)