Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you very much for inviting me to this important conference.
Hydrogen is at the heart of Europes economic and strategic agenda for both renewable energies and decarbonisation, and the Unions external action.
Under the REPowerEU plan, which the Commission launched in 2022, the European Union has set an aspirational objective.
We want to import 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen by 2030 from global partners.
Africa is expected to be a key partner region in producing renewable hydrogen.
The precise share and volumes will obviously depend on the development of concrete projects, infrastructure and partner country priorities. But I want to underline that it is our objective to build a partnership of equals.
The green hydrogen projects will support both Europes climate goals and North Africas climate and socio-economic development needs.
The South H2 Corridor has been recognised as a Project of Mutual Interest under our TEN-E framework.
Its development is a shared priority, pursued in close partnership with Algeria, Tunisia, and the European Union.
We will make sure that the project creates tangible value-added on both sides of the Mediterranean.
Our new hydrogen projects in North Africa and the Middle East (MENA) will also integrate sustainable water management solutions.
We will focus on energy and water efficiency, to avoid negative impacts on communities and other sectors, in particular agriculture.
Hydrogen will be a key area of our economic cooperation.
It offers opportunities for new value chains – from electrolysers to green ammonia.
Hydrogen can be a booster of our strategic partnership:
- Demand and investment from Europe and the Gulf will help create and expand markets.
- MENA partners can become competitive suppliers of hydrogen even on a global scale, and
- Hydrogen can boost intra-regional MENA cooperation and integration in a broader sense.
It is very important to note that our approach is about local value chains and employment, supply which also meets domestic demand, shared prosperity, and long-term cooperation.
It is an approach that is mutually beneficial and the result of truly joint ownership.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As Commissioner for the Mediterranean, my mandate is to strengthen the European Unions relations with the countries of the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf.
In a world of profound geo-strategic and economic uncertainties, closer cooperation amongst partners is not just a choice – it is the way forward.
The ties we share are centuries old, rooted in history and enriched by the diversity of our peoples.
This is why we have shaped the Pact for the Mediterranean together.
In a spirit of joint ownership and co-creation.
The Pact, which I will present in two weeks, is not just another strategy.
It is a partnership of equals.
Our ambition is clear.
We are paving the way towards a shared space of prosperity, peace, and stability.
And our approach with the Pact is pragmatic.
We all want tangible results in key areas that have a positive impact for our citizens, economies, and societies.
Renewable energy is one of these areas.
Our reinforced cooperation in this area tackles a shared challenge:
We need to step up our energy security, advance decarbonisation, and increase our competitiveness.
The MENA region holds one of the worlds best solar and wind resources to achieve this.
This is an opportunity we must seize.
The Pact for the Mediterranean will include the Trans-Mediterranean Energy and Clean Tech Cooperation Initiative (T-MED). T-MED will be a centrepiece of the economic cooperation with our partners in North Africa and the Middle East. And T-MED is a flagship initiative and covers a lot of the win-win scenario of our new level of cooperation for both sides:
The initiative will help: provide investment opportunities, boost renewable energies, and create quality jobs in the region.
What are the pillars of T-MED?
The Trans-Mediterranean Clean Energy Initiative will be implemented through 5 strands:
- An investment platform. It will coordinate investments into a pipeline of ready-to-go projects. And it will bring together project developers, financial institutions - including development banks - and the private sector.
- It is a regulatory accelerator. We need to break regulatory barriers across borders to attract private investments in renewables at a large scale.
- T-MED will improve the integration of electricity grids. It could also serve as a vehicle of convergence towards a cross-border regional energy market.
- We will also foster clean-tech industry collaborations that align with existing EU initiatives. We want to expand investment opportunities in clean-technology manufacturing in North Africa.
- And last but not least, we will strengthen cutting-edge skills and vocational training. We need that for the new quality jobs for young people in clean tech manufacturing and hydrogen production. This is important given the high number of youngsters in the region who are not in education, employment or training (the so-called NEETs).
T-MED will demonstrate that what is good for the environment is also beneficial for people and for business.
To conclude,
Our clean-tech initiatives
- help create quality jobs for young people,
- support meeting climate goals by reducing the dependency on fossil fuels.
- and ensure sustainable economic development and stability in the region.
Hydrogen will play a vital role in this strategy.
I wish you a fruitful exchange and debate on how to best make it happen.
Thank you.
