SETIS Magazine: The relevance of the water-energy nexus for EU policies

The SETIS magazine aims at delivering timely information and analysis on the state of play of energy technologies, related research and innovation efforts in support of the implementation of the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan). The current issue is dedicated to The relevance of the water-energy nexus for EU policies. The foreword is provided by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) on The relevance of the water-energy nexus for the EU policies. This issue also hosts interviews with: •Beata Slominska and Carmen Marques Ruiz, working at the European External Action Service ‑ (EEAS). •Pedro Linares and Zarrar Khan, working at the ICAI School of Engineering and the Joint Global Change Research Institute respectively. •Martina Florke and Zita Sebesvari, working at the University of Kassel and at the United Nations University respectively. In this issue, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) contributes with an article on the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems Nexus project.JRC.C.7-Knowledge for the Energy Unio

European Investment Bank's activities in East-Mediterranean: Contributing on the Economic Transitions

The political and economic conditions in the East Coast of the Mediterranean Sea are characterized by high inequalities and various levels of difficulty concerning the multidimensional development of its countries. Far from being a homogenous group, East Mediterranean Countries need reforms both in the public and private sector (that scarcely exists in some of them) as well as in the institutional and policy making level. By separating East Mediterranean countries in three groups, based on their relations with the European Union (UE), namely Greece & Cyprus, member – states / Turkey, candidate country/ Libya, Egypt, Israel, Palestinian Authorities, Syria & Lebanon within the context of the Mediterranean Neighbourhood, this paper aims to examine the volume of their economic system reforms in light of their interaction with the EU‟s financial policies. Concentrating on the mission of the European Investment Bank, through a comparative analysis of separate cases, we aim to draw conclusions concerning the difficulties these countries experience during their transition to capitalist economic systems. The analysis will be based on three chronological axis: the Barcelona Process (1995) concerning the renewal of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, the Lisbon Agenda (2000) and the European Strategy ,reinforcing EU‟s economic competitiveness on global level until 2010, and the Union for Mediterranean (2008) which aims at the creation of a free – trade zone until 2010. Setting this framework, the European Union calls in various ways these countries to comply while they, in turn, aim to benefit from the development initiatives. An analysis based on the European Investment Bank‟s projects reflects the following aspects: The empowerment of the countries‟ comparative advantages due to specific sectors of investment. Areas of investment loans as a reflection of infrastructural inabilities. Spill – over phenomenon of organizational and operational systems / expansion of communication networks and collaboration among private operators. Political instability in correlation with inadequate economic growth and disproportional development of public and private sectors

Amsterdam’s pathway to climate neutrality: creating an enabling environment.

A vibrant European capital and a pioneer in climate-friendly solutions related to citizens services within its urban environment, the municipality of Amsterdam has agreed on a roadmap that aims to decrease the city’s CO2 emissions by 55% in 2030 and by 95% in 2050, compared to 1990, which is used as a reference year. In 2040, Amsterdam would like to be free of the use of natural gas altogether and it aims for all traffic to be emission-free as early as 2030. A package of measures to achieve these goals has been agreed upon and adopted by the Mayor and Cabinet at the beginning of March 2020. The so-called Amsterdam climate-neutral 2050 Roadmap includes targets and measures for all relevant sectors: the built environment, mobility, electricity, and industry and harbor. This chapter aims to describe the climate challenges of Amsterdam’s urban environment linked to the goals and targets set in the climate neutrality roadmap. Further, to break down the goal with a focus on the built environment and mobility sectors for the following reasons. The role the municipality can play in achieving the desired goals and the importance of citizen engagement coupled with the prospects of citizen-driven innovation and profit-sharing in the respective sectors

European Investment Bank's activities in East-Mediterranean: Contributing on the Economic Transitions

The political and economic conditions in the East Coast of the Mediterranean Sea are characterized by high inequalities and various levels of difficulty concerning the multidimensional development of its countries. Far from being a homogenous group, East Mediterranean Countries need reforms both in the public and private sector (that scarcely exists in some of them) as well as in the institutional and policy making level. By separating East Mediterranean countries in three groups, based on their relations with the European Union (UE), namely Greece & Cyprus, member – states / Turkey, candidate country/ Libya, Egypt, Israel, Palestinian Authorities, Syria & Lebanon within the context of the Mediterranean Neighbourhood, this paper aims to examine the volume of their economic system reforms in light of their interaction with the EU‟s financial policies. Concentrating on the mission of the European Investment Bank, through a comparative analysis of separate cases, we aim to draw conclusions concerning the difficulties these countries experience during their transition to capitalist economic systems. The analysis will be based on three chronological axis: the Barcelona Process (1995) concerning the renewal of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, the Lisbon Agenda (2000) and the European Strategy ,reinforcing EU‟s economic competitiveness on global level until 2010, and the Union for Mediterranean (2008) which aims at the creation of a free – trade zone until 2010. Setting this framework, the European Union calls in various ways these countries to comply while they, in turn, aim to benefit from the development initiatives. An analysis based on the European Investment Bank‟s projects reflects the following aspects: The empowerment of the countries‟ comparative advantages due to specific sectors of investment. Areas of investment loans as a reflection of infrastructural inabilities. Spill – over phenomenon of organizational and operational systems / expansion of communication networks and collaboration among private operators. Political instability in correlation with inadequate economic growth and disproportional development of public and private sectors

Energy poverty (re)invented? Concept and regulatory gaps in the EU amidst the decarbonisation process

The European Green Deal, a set of measures put forward by the von der Leyen Commission at the beginning of its term in December 2019, has the ambitious and overarching goal of enabling the EU to become carbon neutral by 2050. Encompassing a wide range of developments in many cross-cutting EU policies, the decarbonisation of the EU economy will require a radical transformation of the EU energy system. This process has been already in motion for the last two decades. At the same time, it poses a great challenge from the social perspective in ensuring fairness and justice for the parts of the EU population directly affected by the process. From those two angles, the issue of energy poverty, still prevalent and affecting a considerable amount of the EU population, is very relevant. Its effective mitigation represents a precondition for achieving a just and fair energy transition. Developed in three main parts, this chapter explores the steps taken so far by the EU institutions to address energy poverty while identifying the policy and regulatory gaps and inefficiencies. Exploring energy poverty through the wider lenses of energy justice and based on the analysis of scientific literature, EU official documents and empirical data, this Chapter aims at showcasing the importance of placing energy poverty alleviation at the heart of all energy-related EU policies

The European Union's energy policy and the role of Eastern Mediterranean countries

This thesis intends to gain an in-depth understanding of the structure and the evolution of the EU energy policy. Energy has been one of the cornerstones of European integration. The need for a coherent EU energy policy emerges, though, when the EU energy system becomes dependent on the energy sources of third countries. Using the Copenhagen School’s securitization theory, this Thesis emphasizes the political and economic implications of energy related issues and tries to define the concept of energy security. The securitization of energy policies involves international and regional regulatory implications and obstacles. The EU’s unsteady energy security implies the development of alternative security logic and provisions in the EU’s regional and international politics agenda. We make a critical assessment of the EU energy policy’s historical and institutional framework. A definition of the main components shaping the EU energy policy goals and priorities is, also, attempted. The external energy relations are a core area for the EU energy policy which is characterized, to a large extent, by disunity and the convergent national competences between the EU member states. This Thesis will try to evaluate the strategy implemented on the aim of strengthening the EU’s energy security. The physical security of supply is a key component of the EU external energy policy. We attempt a thorough study of the instruments used – Southern Gas Corridor- for securing natural gas supply to the EU and with a view to diversifying sources and supply routes.The case-study of the East –Mediterranean, examines the region’s contribution to the EU goals of sources and supply routes diversification and the expansion of the EU energy acquis communautaire.The East –Mediterranean region offers an interesting regional energy complex for the EU energy perspectives in terms of security of supply including alternative supply routes, infrastructure projects and energy sources (given the newly discovered natural gas deposits in the area). We observe in the area East – Mediterranean traditional and long standing security issues and the energy add a new driver in these security concerns. This Thesis intent to study the institutional responses of the EU in order to secure its energy interests in the region and to transfer the EU energy acquis communautaire to the concerned countries arguing the reciprocal advantages of the cooperation.Στόχος της παρούσας Διατριβής αποτελεί η εις βάθος κατανόηση της δομής και της εξέλιξης της ενεργειακής πολιτικής της ΕΕ. Η ενέργεια υπήρξε ένας από τους ακρογωνιαίους λίθους της ευρωπαϊκής ολοκλήρωσης. Η ανάγκη για μια συνεκτική ενεργειακή πολιτική της ΕΕ γίνεται, όμως, πιο επιτακτική όταν το ενεργειακό σύστημα της ΕΕ αρχίζει να εξαρτάται από ενεργειακές πηγές τρίτων χωρών.Με βάση τη θεωρία περί ασφάλειας της Σχολής της Κοπεγχάγης, που κινείται σε ένα ευρύτερο διεπιστημονικό πλαίσιο και αναλύει την έννοια της ασφάλειας υπό το πρίσμα όχι μόνο στρατιωτικών αλλά, και οικονομικών, πολιτικών και περιβαλλοντικών ζητημάτων, η Διατριβή αυτή αναδεικνύει την πολυπλοκότητα των θεμάτων που σχετίζονται με την ενέργεια, ορίζει την έννοια της ενεργειακής ασφάλειας και πως αυτή αναπτύσσεται στα πλαίσια της ΕΕ. Γίνεται, επίσης, κριτική αξιολόγηση του ιστορικού και θεσμικού πλαισίου της ενεργειακής πολιτικής της ΕΕ και ορίζονται οι κύριες συνιστώσες διαμόρφωσης των στόχων και των προτεραιοτήτων της ενεργειακής πολιτικής της ΕΕ.Οι εξωτερικές ενεργειακές σχέσεις αποτελούν βασικό τομέα της ενεργειακής πολιτικής της ΕΕ και χαρακτηρίζονται , σε μεγάλο βαθμό, από τις διαφορές και τις αποκλίνουσες εθνικές ενεργειακές επιδιώξεις μεταξύ των κρατών μελών της ΕΕ. Αυτή η Διατριβή αξιολογεί τη στρατηγική που εφαρμόζεται για την ενίσχυση της ενεργειακής ασφάλειας της ΕΕ μέσω της διεξοδικής μελέτης και ανάλυσης των μέσων που χρησιμοποιούνται (Νότιος Διάδρομος ΦΑ) για τη διασφάλιση του εφοδιασμού της ΕΕ σε Φυσικό Αέριο, με απώτερο στόχο τη διαφοροποίηση των πηγών και των οδών εφοδιασμού.Εντάσσεται στο πλαίσιο αυτό, η περιπτωσιολογική μελέτη (case study) της περιοχής της Ανατολικής Μεσογείου και εξετάζεται η συμβολή της στους στόχους της διαφοροποίησης των πηγών και των οδών ανεφοδιασμού της ΕΕ με ΦΑ και της επέκτασης του ευρωπαϊκού ενεργειακού κεκτημένου. Η περιοχή της Ανατολικής Μεσογείου έχει ιδιαίτερο ενδιαφέρον για τις επιδιώξεις της ΕΕ που σχετίζονται με την ασφάλεια ενεργειακού εφοδιασμού ,συμπεριλαμβανομένων των εναλλακτικών οδών και πηγών εφοδιασμού και των έργων υποδομής. Στην περιοχή αυτή , όμως, υπάρχουν μακροχρόνια ζητήματα ασφάλειας και η ενέργεια προσθέτει ένα νέο παράγοντα. Η Διατριβή μελετά τις αντιδράσεις της ΕΕ προκειμένου να εξασφαλίσει τα ενεργειακά της συμφέροντα στην περιοχή και να προωθήσει τα αμοιβαία πλεονεκτήματα μιας περιφερειακής ενεργειακής συνεργασίας

SETIS Magazine: Digitalisation of the Energy sector

The SETIS magazine aims at delivering timely information and analysis on the state of play of energy technologies, related research and innovation efforts in support of the implementation of the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan). The current issue is dedicated to Digitalisation of the Energy sector. The editorial for the Digitalisation of the Energy sector issue is provided by Natalia Aristimuño Pérez (DG DIGIT) on Implementation of the Digital Agenda for Europe: interoperability across national borders, ISA2Programme, working at the Directorate-General of Informatics in the European Commission (DG DIGIT). This issue also hosts interviews with: • Nikos D. Hatziargyriou, Chairman of the European Technology and Innovation Platform for Smart Network for the Energy Transition (ETIP SNET). • Peeter Pikk, founding partner of Baltic Energy Partners OÜ. • Oliver Grün, President of European Digital SME Alliance. In this issue, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy and Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology contributes with a join article on Digitalisation of the energy system: why does it matter and how can Horizon2020 contribute.JRC.C.7-Knowledge for the Energy Unio

SETIS Magazine: Jobs and skills in the energy transition

The SETIS magazine aims at delivering timely information and analysis on the state of play of energy technologies, related research and innovation efforts in support of the implementation of the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan). The current issue is dedicated to Jobs and skills in the energy transition. The foreword is provided by Rabia Ferroukhi on Renewable energy jobs: The EU within the wider global context, working at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). This issue also hosts interviews with: •Ton van Dril and Marc Marsidi, working at ECN part of TNO. •Amandine De Coster-Lacourt, working at the European Commission's Executive Agency for Small and Medium Enterprises. •Paola Mazzucchelli, working at the European Renewable Energy Research Centres Association (EUREC). •Lidia Borrell-Damian, working at European University Association (EUA). •Wolfgang Eichhammer and Matthias Reuter, working at the Competence Centre Energy Policy and Energy Systems of the Fraunhofer Institute. In this issue, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) contributes with an article on The transition towards Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility (CCAM): what impact can it have on employment in the EU?.JRC.C.7-Knowledge for the Energy Unio