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Euro-Mediterranean Partnership |
CAN-Europe believes that a more sustainable Euro-Mediterranean Energy Strategy is needed.
CAN-Europe urges that any infrastructure and economic developments in the energy sector be subject to thorough and transparent environmental and sustainability assessments. Environmental concerns must be integrated into economic and development policies.
The EuroMediterranean Energy Strategy should encourage energy efficiency, by giving a high priority to the implementation of demand-side energy management measures.
The Mediterranean is an ideal region for strong investment in renewable energies, prioritising of all forms of renewable energies would represent a giant leap towards improved environmental conditions in the region.
There should be transparency and public participation in the Euro-Med process.
19th November
2003: The Euro-Mediterranean
Region must move towards a sustainable energy strategy, Letter to EU, Accesion
States, Eastern and Southern Mediterranean Energy Ministers.
19th May 2003:
Euromediterranean
Energy Partnership: absence of sustainable development vision, Press Release,
CAN-Europe.
See positions from other NGOs.
The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, or the Barcelona Process, took form in 27-28 November 1995, in Barcelona, at the Conference of EU and Mediterranean Foreign Ministers, after 20 years of increasingly intensive bilateral trade and development cooperation between the European Union, the 15 Member States and its 12 Mediterranean Partners (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia (Maghreb); Egypt, Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, Lebanon, Syria (Mashrek); Turkey, Cyprus and Malta; Libya currently has observer status at certain meetings).
The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership is a broad cooperation process touching very diverse sectors of activity. See the Barcelona Declaration objectives adopted at the Barcelona Conference. The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership comprises two dimensions:
The main financial instrument for the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership is the MEDA programme. First programming period was from 1995-2001 and the second programming period is from 2002 to 2006 with a budget of 5,350 million euros. The other important source of funding is the European Investment Bank's Facility for Euro-MEditerranean Investment and Partnership (FEMIP).
For the legal basis, programming of resources and overview of
commitments 1995-2001, visit the MEDA System.
It is worth mentioning a parallel process of cooperation between the EU and the Mediterranean Region: MAP and MCSD.
The New Neighbourhood Policy of EU: EU aims for Mediterranean countries and other adjacent countries to adopt all or nearly all the acquis communautaire in exchange for "deep integration" and participation in most programmes. See Commission's Website on New Neighbourhood Policy.
Check the historic of Euro-Mediterranean Co-operation in the Energy Sector (08/2003).
Energy is one of the six priority sectors of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. The 1998 Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Energy Ministers (Brussels) agreed that security of supply, competitiveness and environmental protection are objectives on which the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership in the field of Energy should be based.
Since then the Euro-Mediterranean Environmental Ministers have adopted a framework strategy for environmental integration in the EuroMediterranean partnership (Athens Ministerial 10 July 2002), which was endorsed by the following EuroMed Foreign Ministers conference.
On 21st May 2003, Energy Ministers of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership met to review the first Euro-Med Regional Energy Plan (1998-2002) and to adopt a declaration launching the Second Regional Energy Plan (2003-2006).
The Ministerial Declaration and the new regional energy plan focus on the EU's priorities of security of supply, competitiveness and an integrated electricity market, while promoting large scale Mediterranean transmission infrastructure projects for electricity, gas and oil.
The NGOs called for a regional plan focused on wide-ranging renewable energy promotion, energy efficiency initiatives and infrastructural development dependent on thorough and transparent environmental and sustainability assessments. As well as open up the Euro-Med Energy Forum to all concerned stakeholders. See CAN-Europe Position and the positions of other NGOs.
See Euromed Calendar of Events.
Official Documentation
Ministerial Conference "Towards a new Euro-Mediterranean Partnership on Investment Promotion, Infrastructure Financing and Energy Supply Security", Rome, 1-2 December 2003.
Regional Strategy Paper 2002-2006
/ Regional Indicative Programme 2002-4.
3 rd Conférence Ministérielle Euro Méditerranéenne
de l'Energie, Athènes, May 2003
Ministerial Declaration of the Euro-Mediterranean
Energy Forum
Annex
1 – Communication (not so interesting)
Annex 2 – Priorities for
2003-2006 (important doc)
Athens Declaration
by the Euro-Mediterranean Ministers for the Environment, July 2002.
Statement of the Euro-Mediterranean Conference of energy ministers, May 1998.
Conclusion for a Euro-Mediterranean Partnership on energy adopted at the Trieste Conference, June 1996.
Euromed Info Notes
- A description of the activities carried out under the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership
and the MEDA programme, with a focus on regional programmes. Last edition June
2002.
Opinion of the Section for Transport,
Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society on Trans-Euro-Meidterranean
Energy Networks, European Economic and Social Committee, 29th October 2003.
EREC Position Paper: Towards a Green Constitution
- Greening the European Convention Proposal
Newsletter
on Private Participation in Mediterranean Infrastructure - Issue no. 22 - January
2004, PPMI - A joint World Bank/European Commission Programme.
(please scroll down to the energy section)
Non-Governamental Organisations
The 3rd Euro-Mediterranean
Energy Ministerial Conference - More Hot Air ?, MFTZ Environmental Monitor,
June 2003
FoE's Press Release: EuroMediterranean Energy Ministerial – a test bed for environmental integration , 20th of May 2003
CAN-Europe's Press Release: Euromediterranean
Energy Partnership: absence of sustainable development vision, 19th May
2003.
Euromed Energy Forum says little,
does less for the Environment, Vanya Walker-Leigh, MFTZ Environmental Monitor,
Vol. 2 no 7, July 2000
Open letter to the EU and Mediterranean
countries meeting at the Euromed Energy Forum, Granada, 18-19 May 2000
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