In the framework of the meetMED II “Mitigation Enabling Energy Transition in the Mediterranean region” project funded by the European Union, MEDENER, in cooperation with RCREEE Jointly organized the “Egypt National RoundTable within the Mediterranean Sustainable Energy Investment Forums” on February 7^th, 2023 in Cairo.

The event discussed from the strategic perspective the different methods to enhance access to finance and exchange experiences from different projects on ways to increase the “bankability” of sustainable energy investments and practices to reduce the associated perceived risks for financial institutions. In addition to focusing on national needs/challenges.

Using the successful experience of Sustainable Energy Investment Forums in Europe as a reference, meetMED II aims at establishing a series of regional/national roundtables bringing together banks, financial partners, public authorities, and all stakeholders involved in delivering investments in sustainable energy in order to:

• Map and engage all relevant public and private stakeholders in the reference country.
• Map relevant financial tools, measures, and initiatives in the reference country.
• Improve the visibility of existing public funds.
• Discuss how to enhance access to finance for energy efficiency projects and overcome current barriers.
• Present good practices and innovative funding mechanisms addressed to both buildings and appliances. Discuss ways to replicate and scale up them.
• Identify projects that could be funded thanks to the project’s technical assistance.
• Establish a permanent and high-level national platform for discussion and exchange of information, experiences, and good practices.

The National Roundtable in Egypt – MED SEI Forums is part of a series of 5 national roundtables organised within the MED SEI Forums, setting up an example to be replicated by the other countries. In particular, three regional roundtables will be held within the three editions of meetMED Weeks – the project’s largest annual gathering dedicated to regional EE & RE, and five in other national events. So far, the first regional roundtable took place in March as part of meetMED Week 2022, in addition to the Jordan National Roundtable held in Amman in June 2022 and Moroccan National Roundtable held in Rabat in October 2022.

Typically, the roundtables will expectantly become a permanent forum to facilitate and enhance the dialogue among the different participants, promote brainstorming, and identify solutions and best practices.