IENE participated in "7th International Energy and Investment Days” Forum, which was held on March 1-2, in Novi Sad, in Serbia. IENE was represented by its Head of Research, Mr. Dimitris Mezartasoglou, who attended this two-day high-level meeting and presented the Institute’s flagship publication, the recently completed "SE Europe Energy Outlook 2016/2017” study. During his presentation, Mr. Mezartasoglou made special reference to renewables and energy investments.
The presence of IENE in the Forum was highly relevant, as the Institute, following completion of the aforementioned study and its expertise on SE Europe’s renewables and energy efficiency sectors, presented related findings. In particular, two key regional energy issues were discussed, which concern the various impediments in RES development and the difficult road towards decarbonization in SE Europe. Furthermore, IENE’s forecasts for SE Europe’s RES growth and energy mix were presented, as there was a special focus on the SEE Energy Investment Outlook 2016-2025. According to the reference scenario, which assumes an average real GDP growth of 1% over 2016-2025 and substantial investments in SE Europe, the total anticipated RES investments in Serbia stand at €2.2 billion out of a regional grand total of about €61.2 billion.
This Forum is the only one of its kind in the Vojvodina district and was organized by Central European Development Forum (CEDEF), the Novi Sad Fair and the Provincial Secretariat for Energy, Construction and Transport. The Forum was attended by local government officials, senior representatives of research centers and other speakers from Europe, with Serbia’s Energy Minister Aleksandar Antić also participating. Mr. Lambis Kounalakis, Minister Counselor, Head of the Economic and Commercial section of the Embassy of Greece in Serbia, also contributed introductory remarks at the opening of the Forum.