Events
Powering the Transition: Strategic Interconnections for a Resilient and Sustainable Mediterranean Energy Future – 4th Meeting of the Mediterranean Energy Experts Circle
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The Mediterranean Basin stands at a pivotal crossroads—both geographically and geopolitically—amidst a rapidly shifting global energy landscape. For decades, policy efforts have aimed to deepen energy interconnectivity across the region, driven by the promise of economic complementarities and shared prosperity. Yet, despite an abundance of resources and repeated calls for cooperation, regional energy integration remains constrained by underdeveloped infrastructure, fragmented regulation, and geopolitical inertia. The shift toward more sustainable energy systems presents new opportunities for the region, offering the potential to harness abundant resources, stimulate growth, and strengthen regional cooperation. However, realizing this potential largely depends on the development of infrastructure capable of effectively interconnecting Mediterranean countries. Such interconnectivity is crucial to accelerating the energy transition, enabling large-scale regional projects, and improving access to reliable, affordable, and low-carbon energy for all.
Energy infrastructure—encompassing physical assets, digital systems, and enabling institutional frameworks—will be the backbone of any credible response to the region’s energy challenges. Indeed, the Mediterranean’s energy future will be shaped not only by physical interconnections but by the governance, investment, and innovation ecosystems that support them. A two-speed transition, where Europe accelerates green energy ambitions while its southern neighbors struggle with legacy infrastructure and financing constraints, risks entrenching economic asymmetries and undermining long-term stability. Global dynamics amplify these challenges. The EU’s REPowerEU strategy, the intensifying U.S.-China strategic rivalry, energy security shocks from the Russia-Ukraine war, and reconfigured Gulf partnerships all impact Mediterranean energy politics. Amid this fragmentation, the region’s potential as a clean energy hub and strategic corridor between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East remains largely unrealized.
Unlocking these potential demands more than technical coordination, it requires political leadership, regulatory alignment, and bold investment strategies. In this context, the Policy Center for the New South and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Regional Program Political Dialogue South Mediterranean (KAS PolDiMed) are convening leading experts from across the Mediterranean for the fourth meeting of the Mediterranean Energy Experts Circle. This fourth edition aims to analyze emerging energy trends across Mediterranean countries, while deepening the assessment of real obstacles and key levers and identifying priority actions to strengthen infrastructure interconnectivity and resilience, promote policy harmonization, and foster innovation-driven collaboration.
Strategic Objectives for the Meeting:
- Diagnose structural barriers to energy infrastructure development across the Mediterranean, including regulatory fragmentation, financing bottlenecks, and geopolitical uncertainty.
- Advance policy convergence by identifying pathways toward a common regulatory framework and governance architecture to accelerate cross-border energy infrastructure projects, particularly in green and low carbon energy.
- Reframe investment risk through practical discussions on blended finance, regional de-risking tools, and public-private coordination mechanisms.
- Promote innovation ecosystems that can leapfrog traditional barriers through digitalization, green hydrogen, and decentralized renewable solutions.
AGENDA
Tuesday, May 27, 2025 - Strategic Challenges and Investment Realities | |
09:00-09:30 | Registration & Welcome Coffee |
09:30-09:45 | Introductory Remarks Karim El Aynaoui, Executive President, Policy Center for the New South Winifried Weck, Director, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s Regional Program Political Dialogue South Mediterranean (PolDiMed) |
09:45-11:05 | Panel 1: Global Fragmentation and Mediterranean Energy Infrastructure The Mediterranean energy landscape is increasingly shaped by global fragmentation, from shifting geopolitical alliances to diverging regulatory frameworks. These dynamics challenge cross-border cooperation and delay urgently needed infrastructure investments. This panel will explore how the region can navigate a fractured international order to advance shared energy goals.
Moderator Mounia Boucetta, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South Speakers Mehmet Öğütçü, Founder & CEO, Global Resources Partnership Mohamed Eljarh, Founding Partner, Libya Outlook Research and Consultancy Patrice Geoffron, Professor and Director of the Centre of Geopolitics of Energy and Raw Materials (CGEMP) at Paris-Dauphine University
Discussion | Q&A |
11:10 | Group Picture |
11:30-13:00 | Panel 2: Financing Infrastructure in a High-Risk, Low Trust Environment In an era marked by geopolitical volatility and tighter financial conditions, the cost of financing infrastructure, especially in complex regions like the Mediterranean—has risen significantly. This panel will examine how the region can attract investment in critical energy infrastructure despite elevated risk premiums. Discussions will focus on de-risking strategies, the role of blended finance, and the need for stronger regional coordination to ensure that infrastructure development supports both energy security and a just transition.
Moderator Sabrine Emran, Senior Economist, Policy Center for the New South Speakers Khalid Benhamou, Director, Sahara Wind Ghizlaine Nourlil, Group Director Finance Mobilization and Sustainability, CDG Group (TBC) Dawud Ansari, President, Majan Council for Foresight, Strategic Affairs, and Energy (Virtually) Ibrahim Saif, Former Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Jordan (Virtually)
Discussion | Q&A |
13:00-14:30 | Lunch Break |
14:30-16:00 | Panel 3: Innovation and Technology as Drivers of Regional Energy Integration Technology and innovation are reshaping the landscape of energy infrastructure, offering new tools to enhance efficiency, resilience, and connectivity across the Mediterranean. From smart grids to green hydrogen and digital platforms, emerging solutions can help overcome longstanding barriers to regional cooperation. This panel will explore how innovation can be harnessed to modernize infrastructure, foster integration, and support a just and forward-looking energy transition in the Mediterranean context.
Moderator Rim Berahab, Senior Economist, Policy Center for the New South Speakers Michele Governatori, Head of External Relations – Energy, ECCO Jauad El Kharraz, CEO, Water Energy Climate Experts Network (WECEN) Tamer Khatib, Professor of Renewable Energy, An-Najah University Nablus (Virtually) Jessica Obeid, Energy Consultant & Non-Resident Fellow, Middle East Institute (Virtually)
Discussion | Q&A |
Wednesday, May 28, 2025 – Innovation, Governance and Action | |
09:00-10:20 | Panel 4: Regulatory Convergence for Cross-Border Infrastructure Projects Regulatory divergence and fragmented governance continue to hinder cross-border energy infrastructure in the Mediterranean. This panel will explore how the region can move toward a shared regulatory and institutional framework to accelerate project deployment and bankability, attract investment, and support a balanced energy transition.
Moderator Rim Berahab, Senior Economist, Policy Center for the New South Speakers Francisco Ferreira, Associate Professor, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa Michalis Mathioulakis, Academic Director, Greek Energy Forum Naji Abi-Aad, CEO, Petroleb
Discussion | Q&A |
10:20-10:50 | Coffee Break |
10:50-11:40 | Working Session: Mediterranean Energy Infrastructure – Priorities for Action Participants will take part in a focused working session aimed at translating the insights of the previous panels into practical, forward-looking priorities. In a context marked by fragmented governance, uneven investment, and technological disparities, this session will ask: What can be done now to accelerate regional energy infrastructure development and cooperation?
Group 1: Governance and Regulation How can the Mediterranean region move toward a more coherent regulatory and institutional environment to support cross-border infrastructure? What are the most urgent reforms or mechanisms needed to unlock cooperation? Moderator Khalid Benhamou, Director, Sahara Wind
Group 2: Innovation and Investment What practical steps can be taken to scale up innovation and financing for energy infrastructure across the region? How can existing tools—such as blended finance, public-private partnerships, or regional platforms—be better leveraged? Moderator Sabrine Emran, Senior Economist, Policy Center for the New South |
11:40-12:20 | Presentation of Outputs in Plenary |
12:20-12:50 | Feedback Round & Concluding Remarks Harry Tzimitras, Director, PRIO Cyprus Centre Feedback from the Advocacy Group Delegation to Berlin and Brussels Adel Ourabah, Research Associate, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s Regional Program Political Dialogue South Mediterranean (PolDiMed) Mounia Boucetta, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South |
12:50 | Lunch |
