19-Feb-04

INOGATE ENERGY MINISTERIAL MEETING:

"New Perspectives for the INOGATE Programme, 2004-2006"

Brussels, 29 March 2004

Recognising the need to realign the INOGATE Programme to the new challenges arising from the changes of the EU energy policies in the previous years and the geopolitics of the Programme countries of study, an evaluation study was carried out in 2003 in order to assess the impact of the Programme for Europe as a whole and for the beneficiary countries. As a result of this study, the INOGATE Action Programme 2004-2006 was developed and focuses mainly on "Investment Attraction". The focal points of this INOGATE AP2004-2006 are to assist the beneficiary countries to interface with key International Financial Institutions, to prepare coherent business plans via pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, to support selected project proposers through the due diligence process, and to provide transfer of know-how in project development.

In this context, the INOGATE Energy Ministerial Meeting entitled "New Perspectives for the INOGATE Programme, 2004-2006" is scheduled to take place on 29 March 2004 in Brussels at the European Commission?s Centre Albert Borschette. During this Ministerial Meeting, the European Commission will present the New Neighbours Energy Initiative for the enhancement of future co-operation on energy issues to all participants such as Ministers from the INOGATE Participating Countries and International Financial Institutions.

The Ministries of Energy from the following countries will be participating: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

It is foreseen as a conclusion to this meeting that a Memorandum of Understanding will be signed between the European Commission and INOGATE Partner Countries on the implementation of the Action Programme 2004.

For more information on the INOGATE Energy Ministerial Meeting, please contact the INOGATE Support Group or the INOGATE Technical Secretariat:

INOGATE Support Group
Vatatzi 69, Athens 11473, Greece
Tel: (+30 210) 6458530
Fax: (+30 210) 6459787
e-mail: support@inogate.org

INOGATE Technical Secretariat Kiev
26/28 Kudriavskaya St., Kiev 04053 Ukraine
Tel: (+380 44) 230-27-54
Fax: (+380 44) 230-27-53
e-mail: secretariat.kiev@inogate.org