“The Beirut Energy Forum Conference and Exhibition that will be held on September 30 and October 1, 2010 at Metropolitan Palace Hotel, Beirut, Lebanon. This event is under the high patronage of H.E. Mr. Gebran Bassil, Minister of Energy & Water, and is jointly organized by Mounassabattcom for Congress and Exhibitions and Salon Des Energies Renouvelables De Paris with the support of LCEC as the strategic partner and many local, regional, and international organizations active in the energy field.

In line with the coordination between League of Arab State (LAS-Energy Department), European Commission (EC) sponsored projects MED-ENEC & MED-EMIP and The Regional Center for Renewable Energy and energy efficiency (RCREEE), and with the cooperation of the Tunisian Ministry of Industry and Technology/ANME a workshop will be organized in Tunisia on July 26th and 27th followed by the LAS “Arab EE Directive Working Group” meeting on July 28th and 29th. This two day workshop is to initiate the process of preparing a three year National Energy Efficiency Action Plans (NEEAPs) according to the drafted Arab EE directive.

Ministers and representatives from 43 nations of the Union for the Mediterranean gathered under the same roof to share opinions on renewable energy cooperation, technology transfer and project finance within the region.

A two-day, high-level conference on the Mediterranean Solar Plan (MSP) convened in the Spanish city of Valencia on May 11th and 12th.

According to the EurObserv'ER latest release, the global photovoltaic market expanded again in 2009. The Photovoltaic Barometer released in April 2010 includes the details of the first available estimates of the installed capacity for 2009.

(Amman, 19 April, 2010) – Under the patronage of Jordanian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, H.E. Eng. Khaled Irani, a signing ceremony took place in Amman today, establishing the Oil Shale Cooperation Center.

Established by Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Syria and Turkey in partnership with regional and international companies, the center aims to develop a joint environmental and energy framework, establish common standards for studying and utilizing oil share resources, and attract investors in the sector. These goals are especially pertinent given current challenges in energy security and increasing competition on conventional energy sources.

League of Arab States and MED-EMIP delivered a joint presentation titled”Towards Arab EE Strategy” about recent energy efficiency policy development within the LAS (Arab EE Guideline) and the supporting coordination that followed starting with LAS, EC, RCREEE, MED-ENEC and MED-EMIP in the UN-ESCWA “Expert Group Meeting on promoting small and medium enterprises (SME) sector participation in implementing EE and RE projects”. The workshop was organized in Beirut Lebanon at the ESCWA House on April 27th and 28th 2010.

In four volumes MED-EMIP submitted its final draft of the MEDRING Update study on the 13th of April 2010.  The MEDRING update study provides short term recommendations which are quantifiable, measurable and most likely achievable within a period of 5 years as well as laying the foundation for larger investments to achieve a common and jointly supported objective.

University of Greifswald announced its 7th International Summer Academy “Energy and the Environment”, Transnational Energy Grids: Challenges on the Way to Sustainable Energy Transmission.  The Summer Academy will again be hosted this year by the Baltic university town of Greifswald for two weeks from 18 to 31 of July 2010.

The Second meeting for the development of the Budget Allocation Charts (BACs) took place in Cairo, Egypt in March 31st. The meeting was attended by the involved European Experts from the Wuppertal Institute, Regional experts, national experts and the energy agencies.

In the middle of the Egyptian desert, more than 100,000 mirrors are tracking the sun across the sky to capture its energy. This vast site promises to open the door to renewable energy in the region and is an initiative that the European Union is watching closely

Two EU-funded projects, MED-EMIP and MEDREG, are helping to integrate Euro-Mediterranean energy policies, primarily with a view to moving towards sustainable energy.

The 4th meeting on “Regional Cooperation for Clean Utilization of Oil Shale” will be held under the Patronage of H.E. Eng. Sameh Fahmy the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum in Sharm El Sheikh–Egypt on 24-25 February 2010.

The European Commission held a workshop on electricity interconnections in the Mediterranean on 8-9 February, 2010 in Brussels. “Towards a Mediterranean Interconnection Plan” was the title of the opening presentation by Mrs. P. Abreu Marques, Head of Unit, DG TREN/P3 and Mr. Jean-Louis Ville, Head of Unit, DG EuropeAid/A3 highlighting the objective of the workshop.

The UN-ESCWA (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia) held a workshop in Beirut, Lebanon, on 22-23 December 2009, on The Role of Energy Networks in Regional Integration. During the 2 days meeting various issues of regional significance were presented and discussed, such as: grid interconnections experiences and potential in the region and in Europe, technical considerations and diversification of electric grid interconnection sources, gas networks and cooperation prospects and regional and interregional cooperation in the area of electrical grids.

Following the MEDRING Study Update’s work plan and seizing the opportunity of the gathering of a number of Arab electricity experts and executives to attend the Third General Conference of the Arab Union of Electricity (AUE), MED-EMIP held its 2nd MEDRING coordination meeting in Tunis on 13 December, 2009.

MED-EMIP key expert Mr. Ammar Al-Taher participated in the MEDENER Board of Directors meeting that took place in Marrakesh on the 16^th of November, 2009. Possible future cooperation and coordination with MED-EMIP was discussed.
Both parties agreed to continue communication and coordination in order to set a work plan for cooperation in the year 2010.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) organized the Second Consultation Workshop on Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) in Tunis, on October 21-22, 2009.  The event is jointly organized with the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Energy Sector Management Program (ESMAP).

A joint expert workshop by the LSE-Alcoa Foundation Programme and the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy.

MED-EMIP was entrusted by DG TREN and AIDCO with carrying out an update of the MEDRING study done in 2003 on the options for power grid integration around the Mediterranean Sea and the interconnections between the countries. MED-EMIP received additional financing by Addendum II to engage European and MENA countries’ experts for working on the study. MED-EMIP will cooperate with experts from CESI, an Italian power consultancy, who worked out the first MEDRING study, and from AUPTDE, the association of Arab producers, transmitters and distributers of electricity.

On the evening of Wednesday, 16th of September 2009 the League of Arab States (LAS) and the Euro-Mediterranean Energy Integration Project (MED-EMIP) hosted a joint event in Berlin on the side of SolarPACES 2009 conference.

The Euro-Mediterranean Energy Market Integration Project, MED-EMIP, coordinated the participation of key persons from the different Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPCs)  to attend the SolarPACES 2009, the world’s no. 1 CSP conference, in Berlin, Germany 15-18 September 2009.

Under the Patronage of H.E Dr. Ahmed Kussay Kayyali, Syrian Minister of Electricity, the Euro-Mediterranean Energy Market Integration Project MED-EMIP in cooperation with the Arab Union of Electricity and the League of Arab States held a workshop on 15-16 August 2009 under the title of “CDM in the Power Sector”. The workshop took place at the Bloudan Grand Hotel in Bloudan, Syria and was attended by a large number of electricity and energy officials & experts from Bahrain, Egypt, Germany, India, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom. The opening statements were given by H.E Dr. Eng. Ahmed Kussay Kayyali, the Syrian Minister of Electricity, Mr. Angel Gutierrez-Hidalgo, the Head of Economic Cooperation Section of the European Commission Delegation to Syria, Mrs. Salha Abusabaa, the Head of Renewable Energy Section of League of Arab States, Dr. Albrecht Kaupp, MED-EMIP’s Team Leader and Eng. Fawzi Kharbat, the Secretary General of the Arab Union for Electricity. Participants discussed their CDM projects and exchanged information with international Certified Emission Reduction buyers and brokers.

Within MED-EMIP’s effort and support to environmentally friendly and efficient utilization of oil shale in five Mediterranean Partner Countries MPC’s, a field visit was organized to Germany with participants from Morocco, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey.

Under the title 'ENERGY FROM NORTH AFRICA', SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL, the online version of the German newspaper Der Spiegel, published an article on 16 June 2009 announcing an ambitious plan for supplying Europe with electricity generated from Maghreb countries using Concentrated Solar Power technology.

Under the Patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Electricity and Energy of Egypt, Dr. Hassan Younes the “MENA Energized: Regional Challenges to Green the Power Sector” workshop will took place on 28 June, 2009 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt Event on Occasion of the Second International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) PrepCom.

On 28 June 2009, RCREEE and MED EMIP will convene a full day event on renewable energies in the MENA region. The program covers topics such as renewable energy regulation, implementation of the Mediterranean Solar Plan, funding of renewable energy projects as well as local manufacturing and technology transfer. The event will bring together experts from the region and the international level with an aim to discuss current developments and challenges. It is directed at policy makers, experts as well as private sector representatives who are interested in discussing pressing issues in the RE field in the MENA region.

Med-EMIP organized the first Experts’ Group / Steering Committee meeting in Brussels on 4-5 May, 2009. Important energy related issues were discussed that are of common interest between EU and MPCs.

The Euro Mediterranean Energy Market Integration Project MED-EMIP has been requested to moderate and support a dialogue about utilization of oil shale in partner countries of MED-EMIP. It is accepted and realized that oil shale is a coal like fossil fuel with low energy content. However, that does not necessarily mean it cannot be used in an environmentally friendly way contributing to the energy mix of a country, in particular as an energy source for the power industry, wherever the local conditions are conducive to it.
MED-EMIP is supporting the dialogue on an environmentally friendly, energy efficient and financially attractive utilization of oil shale. 

In cooperation with the Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation (LCEC) and under the patronage of the Ministry of Energy and Water in Lebanon, MED-EMIP held a workshop entitled “Budget Allocation Charts” on 30-31 March 2009. The workshop was attended by professionals from the relevant Energy Agencies and Ministries in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia, the European Commission, as well as representatives from regional organizations and projects, such as the League of Arab States, UNDP, UN-ESCWA and MED-ENEC project.

"Opening up the 'Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean' to countries not involved in the partnership "increases the likelihood of establishing parity in relations between the EU and the Mediterranean partner countries and of tackling the problems of the region in a comprehensive way", so says the European Parliament in a report adapted with 521 votes in favour, 44 against and 13 abstentions.

The report also welcomes the decision of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Union for the Mediterranean to include the League of Arab States as a participant at all meetings at all levels, considering its positive contribution to the goals of peace, prosperity and stability in the Mediterranean region. Furthermore, the EP is in favor of changing the name to 'Union for the Mediterranean' , provided that the strategic value of Euro Mediterranean relations and the Barcelona Process acquis, including the involvement of civil society, be reaffirmed. The report calls for the Secretariat to be brought into operation as a matter of urgency, in order to prove that it is possible to overcome current tensions by promoting real and concrete projects of mutual cooperation." ENPI-e bulletin 20 February 2009

Among the recommendations of a specialized workshop on Demand Side Management (DSM) and Energy Efficiency (EE) improvement in the power sector, held in Tripoli, Libya on 9-11/2/2009 that Arab countries collectively adopt demand side management and energy efficiency improvement policy, taking into consideration differences in local conditions for each.

On 5 December MED-EMIP, MEDSTAT II and Eurostat met at the office of the MEDSTAT project in the Ministry of Finance in Paris to discuss and coordinate joint activities in the support of energy statistics in the Mediterranean region. The MEDSTAT II project will complete its assistance in 2009 with development of energy efficiency indicators and survey of energy prices. MED-EMIP will follow-up the activities with the working groups in MPCs, focusing on disseminating energy data and improving their availability and visibility. The next meeting is planned for mid January in Cairo, Egypt.

On Friday 5 December 2008, Mr Mustapha BAKKOURY, Managing Director of CDG, Mr Philippe de FONTAINE VIVE, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) in charge of Mediterranean activities, and Mr Pierre DUCRET, Director of Banking Services at Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC) in charge of sustainable development, launched and signed the shareholders’ agreement of Fonds Capital Carbone Maroc (FCCM).

The “MED-EMIP Power Breakfast” was organized on the side of the Energy Efficiency in the Construction in the Mediterranean Project (MED-ENEC) Symposium “Next Steps”. The Side event was attended by representatives of national energy agencies from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey.

The preparatory study carried out by Euro-Mediterranean Energy Market Integration Project (MED-EMIP) for the Solar-for-Peace initiative refer to the re-launching of the tri-lateral energy co-operation between EU, Israel and the Palestinian Authorities as confirmed at the EU-Africa-Middle East Energy Conference held in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt, on 1st November 2007, and at the 5th Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Energy in Limassol, Cyprus, on 17th December 2007.

The MED-ENEC program “Energy Efficiency in the Construction Sector in the Mediterranean” in cooperation with its National Focal Point for Israel, the Ministry of Infrastructure organized a workshop in Tel Aviv on 13 November 2008 covering the topic "Energy Efficient-Building Regulations: Strategies and Tools for Effective Implementation and Compliance".

The regional conference was organized by the United Nations University (UNU-ILI) - RCE in Collaboration with the Heinrich Boll Stiftung - Middle East Office on October 21-22, 2008 at the United Nations University in Amman, Jordan.

The meeting held on 6 October in Brussels was a follow-up of the first meeting of the three parties in Jerusalem on 4 June 2008. Participants from EC Directorate Generals for Transport and Energy (DG TREN), External Relations (DG RELEX) and Europe Aid Cooperation (DG AIDCO), Israel, and Palestinian Authority (PA) met to discuss the cooperation in the “Solar-for-Peace Initiative”, the establishment of a Joint Energy Office, and the trilateral cooperation in complementary areas such as electricity transmission projects between Israel and PA.

The Experts Group consisting of representatives from the 27 EU Member States and 10 Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPC), met in Brussels to exchange information about the activities developed in the frame of the 2008-2013 Priority Action Plan for the Euromed Energy Cooperation.

On 10 May 2010, the 8th FEMIP Conference was held in Valencia (Spain) on the subject of “Energy in the Mediterranean Region: the challenges ahead”. Organized by FEMIP – the European Investment Bank’s financial arm for the Mediterranean – the conference brought together representatives of the private sector, fund managers, top officials from international financial institutions, energy experts and grid operators. It was chaired by Mr. Philippe de Fontaine-Vive, EIB Vice-President with responsibility for FEMIP.

On the margin of the 8th FEMIP conference and the Conference on the Mediterranean Solar Plan held in Valencia, May 10-12, 2010 MEDENER Board of Directors No. 17 and General assembly No. 15.

The presidency of the association was handed over from ENEA/Italy the Agency for Development of RE and EE (ADEREE)/Morocco. Morocco has adopted a new law that stipulates the transformation of the Centre for the Development of Renewable Energy (CDER) into an Agency for Development of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ADEREE).