Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

Innovative policies and financing instruments for the EU's southern and eastern neighbours

Ministerial Conference under the German Presidency of the EU
19 April 2007, Berlin

About this conference

H.E. Sigmar Gabriel, H.E. Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, Ingrid Matthäus-Maier,

Mohamed El-Ashry

Summary and Conclusions  [pdf, 70 KB, English]

Overview
The Ministerial Conference on “Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency – Innovative Policies and Financing Instruments for the EU’s Southern and Eastern Neighbours” under the German EU Presidency has been held on 19 April 2007 in Berlin. The conference was hosted by the German Government (Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, BMZ, and Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, BMU) and KfW, in cooperation with the European Commission.

Participants
Participants at the conference included Ministers, utilities, energy efficiency agencies, members of industry and NGOs from the EU’s southern and eastern neighbouring countries and the EU member states.

Objectives
Energy efficiency and renewable energy are a thematic focus of Germany’s EU Presidency. The conference intended to:

• contribute to a wider dissemination of information relevant to these topics in the EU’s southern and eastern neighbouring countries;

• raise awareness of the opportunities and benefits of a wider use of renewable energies and increased energy efficiency among decision-makers and encourage their commitment to intensify efforts to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency;

• encourage the dialogue on political, economic and regulatory frameworks best suited for successfully promoting renewable energies and energy efficiency and increasing investment from the state and the private sector;

• contribute to a closer cooperation between the EU’s southern and eastern neighbouring states and the European Commission on renewable energies and energy efficiency;

• give a platform to international financing institutions for the presentation of innovative financing tools.