Statement of Dii on the Communication of the European Commission “Renewable Energy: A Major Player in the European Energy Market”

With its Communication “Renewable energy: a major player in the European energy market”, the European Commission has taken an important step in defining a more concrete and long-term view on the cooperation between member states and third countries in renewable energies. 

Dii welcomes that the European Commission expresses its support of renewable energy beyond EU borders and explicitly highlights the cooperation with the Southern Mediterranean. Ambitious target setting for renewable energies post 2020 is key in defining a post 2020 renewable regime including strong cooperation with North Africa and the Middle East. We encourage the European Commission in facilitating the use of cooperation mechanisms with third countries and taking concrete steps to mitigate the regulatory uncertainty and to render cooperation mechanisms more operational. 

We strongly support the European Commission’s plans to promote a regional EU-Southern Mediterranean Energy Partnership in the framework of the Mediterranean Solar Plan. This partnership could provide a legal framework to facilitate large-scale investment in electricity in the two regions. We highly appreciate that the European Commission is aiming to approve a possible framework agreement by 2013.

We welcome that the European Commission wants to reinforce the role of private entities as originators in joint projects. With its industry network of 56 companies from 15 countries, Dii is willed to contribute to the EU’s renewable energy targets and its post 2020 strategy by engaging strongly in developing renewable energies further in the Southern Mediterranean. 

Strengthening cooperation and exchange of renewable energy between the EU and the Southern Mediterranean is a crucial step towards the development of a sustainable power system in the EU, the Middle East and North Africa (EUMENA). End of June, Dii will present the first part of its long-term strategy “Desert Power 2050”. The analysis shows how wind and solar energy from North Africa and the Middle East can contribute significantly to the energy mix in the EUMENA region and why an interconnected, renewables-based power system is valuable for reasons of competitiveness, sustainability and security of supply. 

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