COP22: EU, UfM Announce Platform for Renewables

The European Union (EU) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) announced, on Monday during the EU Energy Day at COP22, they have launched a new platform for cooperation on renewable energy and energy efficiency.

The platform is meant to provide a forum for discussing energy policy objectives and measures, and to identify and implement joint initiatives.

The Union for the Mediterranean includes 28 EU members and 15 Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries, including Morocco.

“The EU’s vision for a clean energy transition is one where the decarbonization challenge is turned into an opportunity for the modernization and the competitiveness of our economy,” said Miguel Arias Cañete, Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, EU, in his keynote address.

Cañete said that the EU’s Smart and Clean Energy package will be announced by the end of November.

Moulay Hafid Elalamy, interim minister of energy, Morocco, gave a keynote address on the Moroccan energy industry.

“Morocco depends almost entirely from abroad for its supply of fossil fuels, with an average growth rate of 6.5% during the last 10 years,” Elalamy said, adding that “Security of supply remains one of the major challenges of our energy model.”

Other keynote speakers included Ernest Moniz, the United States Secretary of Energy.

Panel discussions covered Energy for Cities, Energy for Economic Growth, Energy for Rural Areas and Energy for Islands.