On 26 June, Energy Regulators from the EU, the Balkans and Black Sea region joined MEDREG in a workshop in Brussels that aimed to strengthen regulatory dialogue across Europe and the broader Mediterranean region to support consumers in becoming active energy market participants.

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MEDREG held its 27th General Assembly on 18-19 June in Tirana, which was marked by a redoubling of the organisation’s efforts to promote and facilitate the deployment of sustainable support schemes for Renewable Energy Sources (RES).

A signing ceremony held in Vienna on 11 December brought together the Presidents of three regional associations of energy regulatory authorities. Presidents Garrett Blaney of CEER, Giorgi Pangani of the ECRB and Gülefsan Demirbas of MEDREG signed a Cooperation Arrangement that will strengthen regulatory cooperation between energy regulators across Europe through to the Mediterranean, South East Europe and Black Sea regions.

Gathered on 29 November in Istanbul for the organisation’s 26th General Assembly, MEDREG Members elected their new President Mrs. Gülefsan Demirbas, Head of the Strategy Development Department at the Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA). She will be supported by three Vice-Presidents, Mr. Petrit Ahmeti (ERE, Albania) Mrs. Christine Chauvet (CRE, France) and Mr. Stefano Besseghini (ARERA, Italy). The new Board expressed its willingness to give a new impulse to MEDREG’s strategy and voiced their common ambition to support regulators, finding concrete and mutual solutions to the problems they face.

The progressive decline in the cost of renewable energy technologies and the integration of variable renewable energy into to the grids have led to the adoption of renewable incentive public policies. Among these policies, auction schemes have become increasingly popular with a growing number of countries adopting it over the past decade, including in the Mediterranean region.

Yesterday, on the eve of its 25th General Assembly, MEDREG held a workshop on the “Future of Gas in the Mediterranean Region” to inform further the work of Mediterranean regulators in this area. Hosted by the Portuguese regulator, ERSE, the event gathered gas experts from International Financial Institutions, regulators, Transmission System Operators (TSOs), policy-makers and industry, who shared their views on the current trends of the sector in the Euro-Mediterranean region and beyond.

The first trilateral workshop of the Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER), the Energy Community Regulatory Board (ECRB) and Mediterranean Energy Regulators (MEDREG) held on 28 June in Vienna kicked-off future closer cooperation of the three regional regulatory bodies. The event, focusing on consumer protection, follows a series of previous joint activities and events, among which common reports on quality of supply.

MEDRE’s Gas Infrastructure Map of the Mediterranean Region provides an outlook of the gas infrastructure in the Mediterranean region, including interconnection points, cross border transmission pipelines, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) storage capacities, usage of the capacities and future investment plans across MEDREG members. 
 
Based on data collected from 14 Mediterranean countries, the Gas Infrastructure Map may guide Members to develop priority and/or potential infrastructure in the natural gas transmission systems, in line with natural gas supply-demand scenarios. The report also includes the technical details for the infrastructure of Croatia, Cyprus, France, Jordan, Malta, Spain and Turkey.

In the context of its key role to support energy regulatory authorities in the Southern Mediterranean, MEDREG facilitated the organisation of a technical study visit between the newly established Egyptian gas regulatory authority (GasReg), and Portugal’s regulatory authority (ERSE), to address regulatory experiences regarding liberalisation of gas markets. The study visit was financed by the European Commission, under an instrument called Technical Assistance and Information Exchange (TAIEX).

Today, on the occasion of the VII World Forum on Energy Regulation taking place in Cancùn, energy regulatory Associations from developing regions of Africa, the Mediterranean, Central and South America, Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Asia signed a cooperation agreement to put their resources in common and jointly work on energy topics of common interest.

Since its establishment in 2007 and with the continuous support of the European Union (EU), MEDREG has been working to develop a common regulatory culture and foster progressive energy market integration in the Mediterranean region. Building on 10 years of successful cooperation amongst its members, MEDREG has defined new activities for the twoyear period 2018-2019, enshrined in a new grant contract recently endorsed by the European Commission.

Based on data collected from 20 Mediterranean energy regulatory authorities and ministries, the Energy Regulatory Outlook presents the status of energy regulation in the Mediterranean Basin and aims to provide a complete overview about how the national energy sectors are ruled, ranging from independent entities to governmental bodies. Each regulator is analyzed according to a number of dimensions (such as independence, organization, transparency and accountability).
The report shows that most Mediterranean regulators are independent and empowered entities working to support the opening of the energy markets and mandated to define tariffs, issue binding decisions and sanction sector participants. However, the report indicates that in some countries the role and competences of the regulator could benefit from clarification and improvement in terms of tariff definition, dispute settlement between industry and customers and the protection of vulnerable consumers.

On 5-6 December 2017, MEDREG held a training on European rules for cross-border interconnections for their Tunisian member, the Tunisian Ministry of Energy, Mining and Renewable Energies. The 2-day training, in which participated 20 staff members of the Energy Ministry and of the Tunisian electricity utility (STEG), aimed at enhancing their knowledge and skills concerning the realisation of cross-border electricity interconnection projects, including the identification of appropriate business models.

On 5-6 December 2017, MEDREG held a training on European rules for cross-border interconnections for their Tunisian member, the Tunisian Ministry of Energy, Mining and Renewable Energies. The 2-day training, in which participated 20 staff members of the Energy Ministry and of the Tunisian electricity utility (STEG), aimed at enhancing their knowledge and skills concerning the realisation of cross-border electricity interconnection projects, including the identification of appropriate business models.

On 5-6 December 2017, MEDREG held a training on European rules for cross-border interconnections for their Tunisian member, the Tunisian Ministry of Energy, Mining and Renewable Energies. The 2-day training, in which participated 20 staff members of the Energy Ministry and of the Tunisian electricity utility (STEG), aimed at enhancing their knowledge and skills concerning the realisation of cross-border electricity interconnection projects, including the identification of appropriate business models.

Today, during a joint workshop held at the European Parliament in Brussels, the Mediterranean Energy Regulators (MEDREG*) and the Mediterranean Association of the National Agencies for Energy Conservation (MEDENER**) discussed how they can step up their cooperation with coordinated actions that concretely promote sustainable energy in the Mediterranean.

In an official visit to Israel and Palestine on 15 and 16 November, the President and General Coordinator of the Mediterranean Energy Regulators (MEDREG*), Mr Alexandre Santos and Mr Fabio Tambone, reaffirmed MEDREG’s support to its Southern shore Members. They met with Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Israel’s Energy Minister, and with His Excellency Eng. Zafer Melhem, Chairman of the Palestinian Energy Authority, to define and agree on concrete ways of supporting the two countries’ energy market and regulatory reforms.
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In an official visit to Israel and Palestine on 15 and 16 November, the President and General Coordinator of the Mediterranean Energy Regulators (MEDREG*), Mr Alexandre Santos and Mr Fabio Tambone, reaffirmed MEDREG’s support to its Southern shore Members. They met with Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Israel’s Energy Minister, and with His Excellency Eng. Zafer Melhem, Chairman of the Palestinian Energy Authority, to define and agree on concrete ways of supporting the two countries’ energy market and regulatory reforms.
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In an official visit to Israel and Palestine on 15 and 16 November, the President and General Coordinator of the Mediterranean Energy Regulators (MEDREG*), Mr Alexandre Santos and Mr Fabio Tambone, reaffirmed MEDREG’s support to its Southern shore Members. They met with Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Israel’s Energy Minister, and with His Excellency Eng. Zafer Melhem, Chairman of the Palestinian Energy Authority, to define and agree on concrete ways of supporting the two countries’ energy market and regulatory reforms.
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On 30 October, Mediterranean Energy Regulators (MEDREG)* joined the German Corporation for International Cooperation GmbH (GIZ)** in discussing the evolution of the Moroccan energy market with the Moroccan Ministry of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment, in a conference entitled “Energy Market transformation: challenges and implication”. Held today in Rabat, the event aimed at presenting international experiences that are in line with the efforts to reform Morocco’s legislative and regulatory framework and support its ambitious low carbon energy objectives.

Le 30 octobre, les Régulateurs méditerranéens de l'Énergie (MEDREG)* se sont unis à la GIZ** (l'agence de coopération internationale allemande pour le développement) pour parler de l'évolution du marché de l'énergie marocain avec le Ministère de l'Énergie, des Mines, de l'Eau et de l'Environnement lors d'une conférence intitulée "Transformation du marché de l’énergie : défis et implications". Cet évènement qui s'est déroulé aujourd'hui à Rabat, a comme but de montrer les expériences internationales en ligne avec les efforts pour réformer le cadre législatif et règlementaire du Maroc et de l'assister dans ses objectifs ambitieux de faible émission de carbone.

On 30 October, Mediterranean Energy Regulators (MEDREG)* joined the German Corporation for International Cooperation GmbH (GIZ)** in discussing the evolution of the Moroccan energy market with the Moroccan Ministry of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment, in a conference entitled “Energy Market transformation: challenges and implication”. Held today in Rabat, the event aimed at presenting international experiences that are in line with the efforts to reform Morocco’s legislative and regulatory framework and support its ambitious low carbon energy objectives.

On 24 May, Mediterranean Energy Regulators gathered in Athens for the Association’s 23rd General Assembly. During the meeting, members debated the strategy and action plan for MEDREG in the medium term; discussed the development of tailored support activities for members’ national reforms; and approved a new communications strategy which will deepen and extend MEDREG’s outreach and the dissemination of its concrete achievements.

Cairo, 30 March 2017
With the recent establishment of the Egytian Gas Regulator, Mediterranean Energy Regulators (MEDREG) brainstormed in Cairo on the independence of regulators, their financial autonomy and gas market models. Hosted by the Egyptian Gas Holding Company EGAS, the workshop “Towards the establishment of an independent Egyptian Gas regulator: Market Model and License Fees” brought together leading perspectives and expertise on these topics.
Opening the workshop, the EU Delegation representative recalled the important role of Egypt in the Mediterranean region, underlining the latest discovery of the Zohr gas field which will have a great impact in resource diversification for the region.

Mr. Abderrahim EL HAFIDI, Secretary General of the Ministry of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment of the Kingdom of Morocco, is the latest to confirm attendance at the Africa Energy Forum in Copenhagen from 7-9 June 2017 At the Powering Africa: Summit which took place in Washington DC from 9-10 March, Morocco’s ONEE presented their Gas to Power Programme and MASEN discussed their sustainable energy programme under the leadership of Mustapha Bakkoury, President and Chief Executive Officer. Both organisations are clearly focused on a broader role within Africa carrying with them the potential of building physical energy links between the continent and Europe. The support of the Ministry at the Africa Energy Forum (AEF) this year underlines the commitment from the Kingdom of Morocco to explore energy partnerships with Europe and hasten the pace of foreign direct investment in Morocco.