Honourable Ministers,
Secretary Generals,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
First, welcome to Brussels! I am delighted so many Ministers of Foreign Affairs and
Energy as well as high level representatives of international and regional organisations are present today. I’d also like to thank the large number of representatives of industry, research, and International Financial Institutions who have made the effort to be here.
This is, after all, a unique forum, bringing together the EU with the Mediterranean and Gulf to discuss an extremely important topic, not only for ourselves but for the future of the planet – renewable energy.
Everyone here is united by the common challenge of ensuring stable and secure energy supplies for our citizens whilst simultaneously tackling climate change. This is not to be taken lightly - the solution we find will determine the future economic environment and standard of living for generations to come.
So our task at this conference – increasing our collaboration on renewable energies – is crucial.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We all know renewable energy is not the sole answer to the issues surrounding energy security and climate change. It cannot yet substitute for traditional hydrocarbon resources, nor is there any immediate prospect of it doing so without a major technological breakthrough. So we must also continue our focus on developing cleaner and more efficient fossil fuel technologies, including carbon capture and storage.
But renewables are a crucial part of the policy mix we need. They make a fundamental contribution to the global fight against climate change, reducing harmful emissions in a way which is economically feasible and beneficial.
And every country represented here today has the potential for renewable energy, be that solar, wind energy, or biomass, with a natural advantage in one or more area.
So whilst being realistic in our approach, we clearly have an absolute obligation to future generations to fully exploit our renewable energy potential.
EU industry has been leading the way in innovation, infrastructure, and researchanddevelopment. As an example, one of the world’s largest solar plants opened near Seville, Spain just two weeks ago.
Institutionally, the EU has also been doing its part, with our obligatory targets for renewable energy, energy efficiency and emissions reductions. My colleague Andris
Piebalgs will talk more about our activities in the next session, including the latest development, the Renewable Energy Directive.
But there is a limit to what we can do on our own. Perhaps the most important legacy we can leave for future generations lies in our common action with others.
And one of the most obviously beneficial ventures is top of our agenda today – developing an integrated and interconnected Green Energy Market with the
Mediterranean and the Gulf.
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Taken as a whole, the EU, the Mediterranean and the Gulf have one of the world’s biggest potential markets for renewable energy. Our cooperation makes sense on a number of levels – the EU has significant experience and know-how in renewable energies, whilst the potential for renewable energies in its Southern partners is enormous.
A Green Energy Market will provide cleaner energy sources, help address the rapidly growing demands for energy across the entire region and improve access to energy services. It will also bring economic benefits - jobs and higher incomes – to local economies able to profitably develop renewable sources for domestic use and export.
We have already made some progress. We have supported the gradual integration of electricity markets in the Maghreb, and cooperation between Mediterranean energy regulators. We have also supported energy efficiency policies through successful demonstration projects and establishing a regional renewable energy centre in Cairo. And one of the flagship projects of the Union for the Mediterranean is the Mediterranean Solar Plan.
In the Gulf we have had considerable cooperation over integrating electricity markets and fossil fuels. And we are now increasing our cooperation on renewables, particularly solar, with an agreement to launch a joint research, development and technology platform on clean energy.
But these efforts, important though they are, have only brought us so far.
Now it is time to commit to measures which will make the vision of an EU-
Mediterranean-Gulf Green Energy Market a reality.
That is our task for today.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I see three principal areas where we need to focus our efforts:

a framework of policies, legislation and regulations necessary to enable a Green
Energy Market to function efficiently;

the necessary physical infrastructure that must be put in place to make the market a reality; and

the research and development activities to make renewables increasingly economically viable.
1. Policies, legislation, regulation
First, policies, legislation and regulation. It is essential that we develop a common framework for the Green Energy Market. That will ensure that the market reaches its full potential for both producers and consumers, but also, by providing a stable and transparent framework, that the right conditions are in place to attract the necessary investment.
One element is a common regional policy framework for renewable energy, based on the EU’s achievements including common targets for renewable energy; agreement on certifying the origin of green energy; and mechanisms for financial support.
We must also put in place legislative and regulatory frameworks to ensure a transparent level playing field for green electricity investments and trade. That means similar regulatory models in each country and convergent legislation across the entire region.
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And we have to work on gradually phasing out electricity subsidies which favour traditional fossil fuels over renewables. Renewables must be placed on an equal footing with other energy sources if we are serious about their use.
The Green Energy Market must be governed by the principle of transparency and by clear market rules. We need to think about mechanisms to enable us to implement these elements gradually.
2. Physical infrastructure
The second element is the physical infrastructure that must be put in place to make the market a reality. That means work on electricity interconnections.
To enable electricity trade to take place between individual countries and different parts of the broader region we need additional capacity in the form of more electricity interconnections. In concrete terms we have to finalise the necessary interconnections between the EU and the Southern Mediterranean and between the
Southern Mediterranean and the Gulf.
These interconnections and the related generation capacity will require both public and private funding.
3. Research and Development
The third and final area is research and development. We need everyone’s involvement in seeking the technological breakthrough required to decrease the cost of renewables and the related infrastructure. This is particularly important when it comes to generating solar power and developing the smart grid technologies necessary for transporting electricity long distances.
Dear colleagues,
I very much hope our discussions at this conference today will put us firmly on the road to a more sustainable, economically beneficial future. We have designed the sessions to focus discussion on the key elements involved:
The next session will be specifically dedicated to developing the EU-Mediterranean-
Gulf Green Energy Market and some of the issues I have just addressed.
The session on research and technology will, I hope, facilitate a wider discussion about current projects and the practical possibilities for further technological cooperation.
And we use our final session to focus on practical ways of supporting renewable energy, based on the example of solar energy development.
Renewable energy offers a real “win-win-win” for the EU, for the Mediterranean and for the Gulf in terms of energy security, economic and social development, and the welfare of our planet.
Let us all play our part in achieving this ambition and commit to the necessary tough political and economic decisions ahead.
With that I look forward to productive and stimulating discussions today, and thank you again for your commitment to this important cause.
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