MEDREG President Abdellatif Bardach and Director Hasan Ozkoc participated in the 2nd-Europe Future Energy Dialogue (MEFED24), held in Thessaloniki-Greece on 8 September, which addressed energy infrastructure.

Under the patronage and with the participation of German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck, and the Greek Minister for Environment and Energy Theodoros Skylakakis, this High-Level Dialogue convened Ministers and Deputy Ministers, energy industry leaders, the financial sector, infrastructure operators, regional and international organisations, and the European Union. They discussed the necessary development of cross-border energy infrastructure, such as electricity interconnectors and hydrogen pipelines.

Taking part in the session “Integrated Infrastructure Planning and Regulation Across Regions”, Director Ozkoc underlined the importance of coherent and consistent regulation in promoting infrastructure investment. He further stressed that transparent, stable and predictable regulation is key to attracting private investment in the Mediterranean region. He also drew attention to the creation of a new Commissioner for the Mediterranean, recently announced by the European Commission.  In addition, he emphasized the need for a coordinated financial instrument dedicated to projects in the region such as a Mediterranean Investment Bank.

More than 300 high-level attendees from 14 countries including Germany, Greece, Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Egypt, Netherlands, Israel, Italy, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates gather at MEFED. This dialogue aimed to strengthen energy cooperation between the MENA region and Europe. It was followed by MEFED Advisory Board meeting the following day.