IENE’s Chairman and Executive Director Mr. Costis Stambolis chaired the opening session of the 4th “Balkans & Black Sea Forum”, on Tuesday morning, December 13, in the context of the Institute’s cooperation with the BBSF. The 4th edition of the “Balkans & Black Sea Forum” was held at the Acropolis Museum in Athens on 13-14 December 2022IENE’s Chairman and Executive Director Mr. Costis Stambolis chaired the opening session of the 4th “Balkans & Black Sea Forum”, on Tuesday morning, December 13, in the context of the Institute’s cooperation with the BBSF. The 4th edition of the “Balkans & Black Sea Forum” was held at the Acropolis Museum in Athens on 13-14 December 2022.
The first session, in which the Institute of Energy for SE Europe participated as a Programming partner, focused on “Energy supply & security - Environmental commitments”. Its speakers included the Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Greece, Mr. Burak Özügergin, the Head of the Office of the Secretary General for Energy & Mineral Resources, Ministry of Energy & Environment of Greece, Mr. Dimitris Kardomateas, and the Economic Counselor of the Embassy of the United States in Athens, Mr. Erik Holmgren.
The 4th edition of the Balkans & Black Sea Forum highlights “the Eurasian nexus post 2022: high-stakes arena for security, trade and investments”, thus paving the way for a sincere, coherent and constructive dialogue, needed today more than ever before, as the recent events in Eastern Europe led to a new and dangerously destabilizing situation, the dire consequences of which are still to be defined.
In his opening remarks, IENE’s Chairman pointed out that «as the present energy crisis has made abundantly clear energy security has returned with vengeance as number one priority in the functioning of our broader energy system, reminding us of its importance as the basic pillar of energy policy. The other two important pillars being environmental and economic sustainability. But for the time being, and for some years to come, energy security will gain priority as we are going through two fundamental transformations and meanwhile, we have to ensure that consumers, households, enterprises and industry, are going to have adequate, affordable and secure energy supplies».
«The first transformation is the “energy transition” towards clean forms of energy and decarbonisation. This has just started and might take two or even three decades at the current pace of developments. At regional level energy transition is advancing with emphasis on renewables penetration in the electricity mix but also with energy efficiency in the building sector».
«The second transformation is more regional and has to do with energy supply decoupling in Europe from Russian energy imports following Russia’s incursion in Ukraine earlier this year. Already substantial progress has been made in this front but Russia’s hold on European and regional energy supply is such that it will take a good five to ten years before actual and complete separation can take place».
«The above are some of the huge energy and environmental challenges we are facing today in our part of the world, and thanks to a first class panel that the organisers have magically put together we shall be able to discuss the various facets involved».
