The Turkish Energy Regulator voted on the presidency of the Mediterranean Energy Regulators, MEDREG on Thursday with the election of Gulefsan Demirbas, the head of the Strategy Development Department for the Turkish Energy Watchdog.
Member regulators from 21 countries including Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Israel, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia convened in Istanbul for the 26th General Assembly to elect the association's new president for a period of two years. Gulefsan Demirbas, a Turkish female bureaucrat, and the head of the strategy development department at the Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK) was elected as the new president of MEDREG.
Previously, Demirbas, in her former mandate, acted as the MEDREG vice president. She has also garnered vast experience on the organization's priorities and challenges in her capacity as a long-time member of MEDREG's working groups.
"Our organization will continue to play a major role in the Mediterranean in enhancing regulatory stability and in contributing to socio economic prosperity in the region by supporting the establishment of secure, sustainable and competitive Mediterranean energy markets," Demirbas said in her speech after the election.
According to Demirbas, MEDREG's actions should be more in line with national realities to deliver concrete and effective results. "Therefore, MEDREG is fully committed to respond to its members’ expectations for technical assistance, in particular from our southern countries, through a constant dialogue and an in-depth understanding of their priorities," she said.
"As the President of MEDREG, I, together with honorable Vice-Presidents and the new Steering Committee members, and with the support of the Secretariat, will work harder for a more robust MEDREG, which is more inclusive and more productive,” she added.
MEDREG is the Association of Mediterranean Energy Regulators, which brings together 25 regulators from 21 countries, spanning the European Union (EU), the Balkans and North Africa. These Mediterranean regulators work together to promote greater compatibility of regional energy markets and legislation, and seek progressive market integration in the Euro-Mediterranean basin.
(Anadolu Agency)
