S5 Ep11: Deep Focus: Renewing the clean energy strategy in the Mediterranean

In this episode of Deep Focus, Bruegel research fellow
Simone Tagliapeitra explains how the nature of
cross-Mediterranean energy relations needs to change, not only in
line with new climate-change targets but also to meet the
burgeoning energy demand outside Europe.


Oil and gas dominated Euro-Mediterranean energy relations in the
20th century, but with the turn of the 21st century came a new
focus on renewable sources. The new ventures were less successful
than those of old, and both institutional and commercial plans
failed to achieve the same level of fruitful cooperation.


With electricity demand sky-rocketing in the Middle East, future
efforts must differ from those of the past in providing much more
supply for the countries outside Europe. The EU can play a key
role in ensuring that both they and the countries on the southern
side of the Mediterranean Sea benefit from such a spike in energy
demand, with a strategy in-keeping with agreements already
reached on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
In this episode of Bruegel’s Deep Focus series, Simone
Tagliapietra explains how the regulatory and financial
constraints on renewable energy projects can be overcome.
European institutions have the capability to back the sizeable
upfront investment in renewables that will propel such projects
towards their long-term pay-offs. But funding must be conditional
on reform that promotes private investment and removes archaic
bias towards fossil fuels.
The research discussed in this episode is available in full in
the Bruegel Policy Brief, ‘The Euro-Mediterranean energy
relationship: a fresh perspective’, by Simone Tagliapietra. This
scholar has also collaborated with Bruegel senior fellow Georg
Zachmann on a study of Europe’s failure to clean up its transport
sector, which we recommend as further reading.