According to the event’s first official announcement, the "SE Europe Energy Dialogue” is to be organized once again in Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, on 29/30 June 2016. This will be the 9th edition of the Energy Dialogue which was first launched by IENE, in Thessaloniki in June 2007. This year’s Energy Dialogue comes at a time when momentous global developments are taking place with profound implications for the region’s energy situationAccording to the event’s first official announcement, the "SE Europe Energy Dialogue” is to be organized once again in Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, on 29/30 June 2016. This will be the 9th edition of the Energy Dialogue which was first launched by IENE, in Thessaloniki in June 2007. This year’s Energy Dialogue comes at a time when momentous global developments are taking place with profound implications for the region’s energy situation.
The purpose of this regional forum, organized by IENE, with the support of leading international and regional organizations and major energy companies, is to bring together high-ranking government officials, senior business executives and energy experts from all countries of S.E. Europe but also from International Organisations and major energy producing countries. The objective being the exchange of information and ideas, networking and the development of co-operation for the tackling of the increased global and regional energy and environmental challenges.
The special theme for this year’s SEEED is the "Quest for a New Energy Balance” signifying the rebalancing now taking place in the global and regional energy markets in more ways than one. Also, the SE Europe Energy Dialogue gathering next June is highly topical given EU’s major drive to establish an Energy Union and the emphasis on energy security in view of persisting regional instability (e.g. Syria conflict, Libya’s unrest, mounting refugee crisis, Ukraine territorial issues etc.). Europe's high dependence on hydrocarbon imports, the current volatile energy pricing environment, Iran’s return to European markets, the global concern for the development of viable alternatives and the need to promote further carbon free solutions emerge as key policy issues. The Dialogue will focus too on the latest developments in the region’s evolving natural gas, electricity and RES markets and S.E. European countries’ ongoing energy partnerships with Russia, the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf, the East Mediterranean and North Africa. Furthermore, IENE’s major study the "SE Europe Energy Outlook 2016”, which will be published in May, will be presented during the conference as it will provide a most useful background reference.
In addition to the official representation from each one of the SE European countries and the participation of top management executives from most major energy companies of the region, senior executives from banks and financial institutions donor representatives as well as high ranking officials from major international organizations are expected to take actively participate in this two day high powered regional meeting.
After ten successful years the SEEED is now considered the seminal regional energy event that has managed to engage not only the region’s top policy-makers, financiers and entrepreneurs but also secure high-level participation from some of the world’s leading energy and banking institutions, including the International Energy Agency (IEA), the European Commission, the Energy Community Secretariat, the Energy Charter, World Energy Council (WEC), Energy Fuel Europe, Eurelectric, Eurogas, EFET, EPIA, COGEN, EBRD, EIB and the World Bank.The forum’s delegates and speakers over the past years have also included senior executives from well known international corporations such as BP, Shell, Gazprom Export,Statoil, EDF, GDF Suez, ENEL, RWE, EON, Endesa, PPC, Serbgas, Plinacro, Transelectrica, KESH, AERS, RAE, Bulgarian Energy Holding, CEZ, Edison, DEPA, DESFA, Energean Oil and Gas, Hellenic Petroleum and many others.
The IENE by organizing this year’s "SE Europe Energy Dialogue” aspires to contribute once more to a high level discussion on the region’s key energy issues but also act as a facilitator for much needed co-operation between suppliers and consumers and thus promote the role of SE Europe as an East-West, North-South energy bridge.
