Category: News room

Hammamet – Within the activities of the meetMED II project (Mitigation Enabling Energy Transition in the Mediterranean Region), funded by the European Union, the third edition of the meetMED Weeks took place in Hammamet, Tunisia between 22 – 24 April. The three-day event brought together more than 250 energy experts representing officials, policymakers, stakeholders, municipalities, and private sector from the Mediterranean region with the aim of promoting the energy and climate transition.

 The third edition of the meetMED Weeks, funded by the European Union, was organised by the Tunisian National Agency for Energy Control (ANME), in partnership with the Algerian National Agency for the Promotion and Rationalisation of Energy Use (APRUE). The event provided a platform for exchange of experiences and to explore avenues of cooperation between the Southern Neighbourhood countries in the field of energy efficiency, with a particular focus on the buildings and appliances sector.

During the opening plenary, Fethi Hanchi, General Director of ANME stressed the importance of national and international cooperation to achieve greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and to minimise the impacts of energy price fluctuations on the Tunisian economy. He also described the agency’s efforts to prepare a platform for assessing the carbon footprint of industrial products, scheduled to be operational by the end of the year. 

Likewise, Merouane Chabane, General Director of APRUE underlined the strong commitment of Algeria, with its regional partners, for the promotion of energy efficiency, and for the development of decarbonisation policies within the context of sustainable development.

Cristina Casella, Programme Manager – Climate Action, DG NEAR, European Commission, recognized the importance of the meetMED Week, as a flagship event in the South Mediterranean to discuss how best to advance the energy transition in the region. Casella also recalled that the energy transition is at the top of the EU agenda driven by EU’s climate objectives with the European Green deals ambition to achieve a 55% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050.

From her side, Milou Beerepoot, Programme Manager – Energy,  DG NEAR, EU Commission, highlighted the European Union support to just energy transition policies in the southern Mediterranean and how different types of instruments, varying from technical assistance to financial support, can foster a just energy transition.  She illustrated this with a few examples of EU supported regional projects that offer contributions to a fair and equitable energy transition.

Jauad El Kharraz the Executive Director of the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) pointed out that the support of the European Commission has been fundamental to mainstream energy efficiency efforts in the Mediterranean. “We definitely need more support in the next period to continue consolidating our member states and the national agencies in their energy transition journey” El Kharraz added.

Roberta Boniotti, the Secretary General of the Mediterranean Association of National Energy Management Agencies (MEDENER), further added “we are currently focusing on supporting the member countries in their efforts to achieve energy efficiency and renewable energy. In the second phase of the project, our focus was on the building sector, which plays a significant role in energy efficiency since it is one of the most energy-consuming sectors”.

Throughout 16 sessions, the conference offered participants multiple opportunities for active engagement, with high-level sessions and technical parallel sessions to reflect on implementing Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy measures, focusing on Buildings and Appliances, and demonstrating successful pilot projects led by partners.

Discussion topics included how collaborative work can enhance energy transition in the Mediterranean region, stimulating dialogue towards net zero emissions in the building sector, and presenting innovative financing mechanisms to foster investments in sustainable energy. One session also explored synergies between the meetMED and the PeebMED projects, both EU-funded programs.

The event was concluded by a workshop training session on energy transitions for journalists followed by two site visits at Municipality of Nabeul and Sky Energy Company.

Background:

Following a successful experience last year, the meetMED project – funded by the European Union actively participated at the 28th session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) hosted by Dubai between 30 November and 12 December 2023.

Kicking off meetMED’s presence on December 4, where the RCREEE pavilion hosted a high-level session titled “Energy efficiency finance: mobilisation challenges in the Mediterranean region”. The event emphasised the importance of energy efficiency dialogue and collaboration among stakeholders in the MENA region to accelerate investments in energy efficiency projects.  In addition to showcasing experiences of Mediterranean Sustainable Energy Investment Forums, realized by the meetMED Project as well as innovative financing models, and lessons learned from different EU-funded projects such as the  Programme for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (PEEB), that will foster collaboration to replicate or adapt successful approaches in their contexts. 

Followed by a joint session “Development of energy services in Africa: For a just transition” co-organized in cooperation with the Moroccan Agency for Energy Efficiency – AMEE, at the Moroccan pavilion. This event highlighted the role of energy services and the potential they present in terms of climate change mitigation and sustainable economic development in Africa. The agenda focused on key achievements and shared experiences, which will help paint a picture of the booming African market. The meetMED project “Initiatives to enhance energy efficiency in public buildings” was reviewed during the panel.

The French pavilion hosted meetMED and Programme for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (PEEB) side event “Building a climate-friendly and resilient future for sustainable construction in the Mediterranean region and West Africa: Mobilizing local construction value chain for decarbonization of buildings”. Bringing together stakeholders from different implementing and donor agencies to exchange lessons learned in the implementation of sustainable building projects across the Mediterranean and West Africa.

Our high-level session “Importance of capacity building for cooling sector in the MENA Region” was held the RECREEE pavilion in partnership with the Cool up Programme. The session was designed to raise awareness about the significance of investing in human and institutional capabilities for sustainable development in the cooling sector. 

On December 11th our participation at COP28 was concluded with a side event that focused on energy performance standards, which was aimed at optimizing energy consumption of appliances in the Arab Mediterranean countries.

For more information and media inquiries, please contact:
Ms. Asmaa Ahmed – meetMED Communication Manager
Email: asmaa.ahmed@rcreee.org

Madrid – Within the activities of the meetMED II project (Mitigation Enabling Energy Transition in the Mediterranean Region), funded by the European Union, a “Knowledge Transfer Program on EE in Buildings and Appliances” took place in Madrid from 06 – 07 November 2023. The event was organised in close collaboration with the Spanish E.P.E. Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy – IDAE, the Spanish Association for Standardisation (UNE), and the Test, Innovation, and Services Centre (CEIS).

Day 1: Study tour at CEIS appliances testing laboratories in Móstoles

The tour was an opportunity for participants to gain deep insights into testing centers, Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS), and labeling promotion for appliances, with a particular emphasis on air-conditioning. 

During the visit, participants were provided with a comprehensive description of CEIS, one of Europe’s leading independent testing laboratories, which has more than 20 years of experience in the field of conformity assessment of various products for a wide range of appliances.  Participants visited various testing labs including the Balanced calorimeter room method, Indoor Air enthalpy test method, and Sound power and pressure test method.

Day 2: Regional workshop on energy efficiency in buildings 

For more information and media inquiries, please contact:
Ms. Asmaa Ahmed – meetMED Communication Manager
Email: asmaa.ahmed@rcreee.org

The second edition of meetMED Week 2023, that took place in Marrakech, Morocco from 09 to 11 May, witnessed the announcement of the fourteen Mediterranean cities selected for the twining agreements. The thee-day conference, is the meetMED largest annual event, funded by the European Union, aimed at fostering the regional cooperation for the energy and climate transition in the Mediterranean countries.

The announcement came during one of the meetMED Week sessions devoted to the role of local authorities in the energy transition, bringing together representatives of Mediterranean cities – Lisbon (Portugal), Sahab (Jordan), and Tata (Morocco) – and the SEACAP4SDG and CLIMAMED projects.

During the session, Portuguese Energy Agency  (ADENE) presented the 14 selected cities and the 6 partnerships identified, namely those that join Lisbon in Portugal with Al-Karak and Sahab in Jordan, Palmela in Portugal and Tata in Morocco, San Lucido in Italy and Moukhtara in Lebanon, Gozo in Malta and El Kef Lahmar in Algeria, Grevena in Greece to Abasan Al-Kabira in Palestine, as well as Grenoble in France with Sfax and Bizerte, both in Tunisia. A Spanish town and Cairo are still expected to join these partnerships.

Following the selection processes, the next steps will include signing Memorandums of Understanding with the cities, after which the Action Plans for each partnership will be prepared. These plans will address energy self-consumption, urban rehabilitation and renovation of buildings, the water-energy nexus, passive climate change mitigation measures, as well as actions to raise awareness and boost public participation.

Notably, the call for applications for meetMED twinning agreements was launched in January under project’s activity dedicated to promoting cooperation between cities in the north and south of the Mediterranean Basin region. Under the Portuguese Energy Agency (ADENE) leadership, the twinning agreements intend to promote dialogue, exchanging knowledge and experiences, and regional cooperation on energy efficiency in buildings.

For more information, please contact:

Mrs. Inês Mendes

meetMED II activity leader

Manager Email: ines.mendes@adene.pt