MEDREG’s Action from 2023 – 2024
This institutional brochure offers an overview of MEDREG's activities and achievements over the past two years, showcasing its significant role in promoting market integration and advancing the clean energy transition through regulatory capacity building and collaboration. The accomplishments are presented through measurable metrics and are brought to life through testimonials from beneficiary members, highlighting the tangible impact of MEDREG’s efforts.
This publication summarises the exchanges held during MEDREG 4th Presidents’ Workshop, held on 12 June 2024 in Selinunte, which brought together energy regulators, industry representatives, policymakers and energy stakeholders from across the region to address the evolving energy landscape of the Mediterranean region.
It reports the main highlights and key messages delivered by the panellists on the following aspects:
The Annual Report presents the milestones we accomplished in 2023, forging a regulatory environment for market integration and energy transition.
It covers the work we deployed to mitigate the impacts of the energy crisis, through initiatives enhancing the resilience of energy networks and infrastructures.
The reflection around renewable gases and specifically on hydrogen also holds a significant position in last year’s activities with decarbonisation constituting a primal focus, driving initiatives to enhance energy efficiency too.
Our collaboration with regional stakeholders and our dedication to capacity building among our members also proved to be powerful means that leveraged knowledge and experience, charting the course towards a sustainable, secure, and thriving energy market in the Mediterranean.
As we reflect on the past year's accomplishments at MEDREG, it is evident that our collective efforts have yielded remarkable milestones. Our unwavering commitment to fostering a regulatory environment conducive to market integration and energy transition has been instrumental in advancing our association's mission.
In response to the unprecedented challenges facing the energy sector, we have demonstrated resilience and adaptability by equipping our members with tailored regulatory tools to navigate volatile energy prices. Despite these challenges, our dedication to advancing decarbonisation remains steadfast.
Read the full message in three languages.
This report provides the latest data and analysis on the impact of escalating energy prices in the Mediterranean region. It sheds light on the diverse effects felt across the region due to the energy price surge.
It highlights the broader repercussions on inflation in several Mediterranean countries, underscoring the multifaceted economic implications stemming from the surge in energy costs.
In addition to analysing the current conditions, the report offers insights into future trends and perspectives, with a particular focus on the trajectory of gas prices throughout 2023 and 2024. Understanding these evolving dynamics is essential for stakeholders to navigate the energy landscape effectively and formulate informed strategies for sustainable energy management in the Mediterranean region.
The updated report serves as a valuable resource for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and regulatory bodies, providing crucial insights into the complex interplay between energy prices, inflation, and future trends, and guiding efforts to ensure a resilient and affordable energy future for the Mediterranean region.
This document assesses the energy efficiency mechanisms in the electricity system and the available technologies and instruments to be used on the supply-demand side. Additionally, it identifies the main barriers that delay the implementation of energy efficiency in the Mediterranean region.
The report represents the contribution of MEDREG to the UfM Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (REEE) Platform Action Plan as a technical input to the UfM discussion. The last chapter is enriched with the contributions of the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) to energy labelling.
This report provides a comprehensive insight into the region's requirements for smart meter and smart grid integration. It addresses the key requirements for successful smart meter deployment and smart grid integration in the Mediterranean context, such as the establishment of a robust communication infrastructure, adherence to data privacy and security standards, and the development of interoperability protocols.
Additionally, the study explores the technical, financial, and regulatory hurdles that must be overcome to achieve widespread adoption of these technologies.
The report also discusses case studies and best practices from various Mediterranean countries and analyses successful initiatives, describing lessons learned and key success factors.
This report examines the role of national regulatory authorities (NRAs) in promoting market competition in the energy sector, with a particular focus on the development of wholesale markets and the monitoring of electricity and gas markets. It provides an overview of the relevant European Union (EU) regulatory framework and assesses the extent to which NRAs have implemented these provisions in their respective countries.
The report also identifies best practices that can improve the effectiveness of NRAs in promoting market competition and development, such as enhancing transparency and accountability, improving regulatory capacity, strengthening cooperation among NRAs and promoting stakeholder engagement.
This short report is based on insights provided by Erjola Sadushi, Commissioner of the Albanian Energy Regulatory Entity (ERE), in a podcast registered in January 2024 titled “Energy consumer protection in Albania and Algeria”.
This podcast transcription informs about the measures taken by ERE to protect vulnerable consumers from increased energy prices and about the communication channels put in place in Albania to empower consumers to make informed decisions.
This short report is based on insights shared by Karima Sadou, Director for Consumer Protection and Conciliation at CREG, in a podcast registered in January 2024 titled “Energy consumer protection in Albania and Algeria”.
This podcast transcription informs about the measures taken by CREG to protect vulnerable consumers from increased energy prices and about the communication channels put in place in Algeria to empower consumers making informed decisions.
It also sheds light on the broad Algerian energy policy, the diversification of energy sources and the efforts deployed in the country to improve regional market integration.
The report showcases best practices in various countries within the Mediterranean region as a way to offer a valuable framework for regulators and stakeholders to ensure consumer protection within the energy market, promoting fairness and transparency. It provides benchmarking on communication practices between regulators, energy stakeholders and consumers, as well as collaborative efforts with various organisations and ministries. It describes outreach campaigns carried out by some regulators to empower consumers and foster active participation. Best billing practices are shared illustrating the regulators’ crucial role in overseeing billing accuracy and dispute resolution. It also addresses supplier terms, contract termination and access to price comparison tools, which constitute important consumer rights and tools for informed decision-making.
This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the region's dependence on natural gas, the legal framework governing security of supply obligations, and the complications surrounding this vital energy resource. The recent gas crisis has shown some of the vulnerabilities of the countries in the region, underlining the need for a proactive strategy to address security of supply concerns effectively.
The report explores a range of measures and tools that successfully tackled these concerns, including diversifying gas sources, expanding infrastructure, promoting efficiency, and exploring alternative gases and options.
This report summarises the exchanges held in October 2023 during the trilateral workshop between experts from regulatory bodies in the region and members of the consumer/customer working groups of the three associations. It addresses the evolving landscape of consumer-related energy issues within the Mediterranean, European, and Balkan regions. It also explores the complexities and opportunities inherent in the energy market transformations, with a focus on the urgent need to address consumer-centric concerns while navigating the transition towards sustainable, cleaner energy systems.
Based on our training report on the same subject, this one-page publication illustrates the regulatory powers in action, and provides some tools used in our member countries to improve regulatory compliance. It also invites energy regulators to harness the full potential of newly developed regulations to promote the integration of renewable energy sources, and to accelerate the establishment of the grid of the future, increasing consumer protection, energy security and environmental sustainability.
Based on the MEDREG training titled “Implementation of Regulations: From Legislative Frameworks to Tools of Policy Execution” which took place in Paris in October 2023, this report explores the challenges and opportunities of implementing energy regulations. It examines the use of sanctions and incentives and focuses on specific strategies that the regulators can deploy to promote the development of renewable energy sources. It also offers an understanding on the power of regulators and their ablility to enforce compliance through sanctions along with the best practices for handling complaints. In addition, the report provides some hints on how to enhance regulatory compliance through the use of adequate monitoring tools and how to embrace the texts and the tools to increase the competences.
Based on MEDREG’s flagship MEMO report, this short digital card provides an overview of the energy mix by country and by region and of the cross-border interconnections in the Maghreb, the Middle East, the Balkans and Tu¨rkiye, as well as in EU MEDREG Member countries. It offers some recommendations to accelerate the decarbonisation of the energy sector and increase the security of supply in the Mediterranean region.
We express our most sincere thoughts to the Moroccan people and to our dearest colleagues from ANRE - The Moroccan Electricity Regulatory Authority - for the tragic earthquake which struck the country on Friday 8th September. Our deepest and heartfelt prayers go to the ones who lost their life and to their families.
This report covers the discussions held in the MEDREG’s 3rd Presidents' Workshop titled "The Role of a Coherent Regulation in Promoting Energy Transition in the Mediterranean Region" in June 2023. The workshop explored topics such as renewable energy integration, energy efficiency, cross-border interconnections, and regulatory harmonisation. This report provides an overview of the workshop proceedings, key insights, and recommendations that emerged from the discussions, aiming to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on promoting sustainable energy transition in the Mediterranean.
This Annual Report informs about the activities undertaken in 2022, a year marked by surging energy prices and energy security risks in a context of geopolitical crisis. Last year, our members showed their capacity of adaptation and responsiveness to maintain the stability and the functioning of the energy markets in the Mediterranean region, while keeping the decarbonation of the energy sector high in their agenda. 2022 saw a reinforcement of the status and independence of the regulators, while Southern members harnessed synergies with fellow members to enhance their energy markets. Efforts were pursued to maximise the use of gas interconnections and tackle energy losses.
Furthermore, renewable gases, energy storage and demand management became important topics of studies and exchanges among our members on their quest to promote low carbon new technologies and renewable energy sources.
In his introductive message of our 2022 Annual Report, President Abellatif Bardach presents his vision of the recent developments and his priorities to respond to the evolving trends of the energy sector, with a focus on a reinforced collaboration with stakeholders and the deployment of new technologies.
This report is a summary of a workshop which took place on 30 November 2022 in Cairo (Egypt), and which explored the role of regional organisations to accelerate the energy transition while ensuring the security of supply. Drawing on insights from experts from regional organisations, the energy industry, academia, and civil society, the report examines the challenges and opportunities facing regional organisations in designing and implementing regulatory frameworks for sustainable energy systems that can one day tackle the energy transition. Key themes that emerged from the discussions include the need for clear and consistent policy frameworks, stakeholder engagement, innovation and technology, and the potential for regional collaboration.
This document presents the deliverables planned for the 3-year period 2023-2025. They have been designed in line with the organisation’s strategy and objective to gradually establish an integrated and interoperated Euro-Mediterranean energy market with sound and harmonized regulatory frameworks.
Fostering institutional exchange, peer-to-peer support, exchange of know-how and capacity-building, the Action Plan foresees a wide range of activities meant to reinforce our members’ regulatory capacity in light of their specific needs.
Acknowledging the fact that regulators are called to adapt their response and scope of action to the energy transition and fast-changing environment, this Action Plan proposes an enlarged toolbox of support activities.
Taking the form of technical reports, study visits, workshops, or trainings, our support activities will launch and reinforce specific initiatives on topics that have recently raised our members’ attention and interest, notably relating to technological change, hydrogen, cybersecurity, interoperability of networks, energy poverty and energy prices.
This document assesses the rules regarding conflict of interest (COI) in the electricity and gas market in the Mediterranean region. It is based on MEDREG’s case studies, which describe the implementation of the rules and plans to manage conflict of interest situations within the national regulatory authority (NRAs) and within the Transmission System Operators and Distribution System Operators.