[WATCH] Dalli: Energy collaboration between EU and North African region could be catalyst for stability

Having the European Union collaborate with North African countries on energy renewables could be a catalyst in helping maintain stability in the region, Miriam Dalli has said.

“We want this region to be stable and peaceful, and we believe there are a number of ways to achieve this,” the energy minister said.

Miriam Dalli was addressing a press conference, together with other Southern European energy ministers following the MED9 summit held in Valletta on Thursday.

During summit working groups, one of the points raised by participating countries was the acceleration of close cooperation among member states and other regions, among them North Africa.

Fielding questions from the media, Dalli said the reality of political instability in certain North African countries is taken in consideration when proposing such collaborations.

“We believe the energy sector can be a catalyst in strengthening the Mediterranean region. We want this region to be stable and peaceful, and we believe there are a number of ways to achieve this,” she said.

The minister also pointed out there is a lot of untapped potential in the region, and if implemented, the collaboration would benefit all parties involved.

Collaboration with African countries already in place

The European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson said there are already ongoing collaborations with countries in the North African region.

“Last year when Russia tried manipulating our gas market and created this artificial crisis, we reached out to all out trusted partners, and Egypt was among the first ones to sign an MOU with the EU, allowing us to import more LNG than previously,” she said.

“From our side we want to offer our trusted partners a cooperation beyond fossil fuels, and we have made several financing decisions already to create a solid basis for renewable projects in Egypt. We also have a good energy dialogue with Algeria and an impressive interconnection network with other north African countries like Morocco,” she said.