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