Round Table Conference "Learning from the past and defining next steps", Brussels, 24-25 June 2008
The INOGATE Round Table Conference entitled “Learning from the past and defining next steps” took place on 24-25 June 2008 in
To this end, three key themes were addressed during the round table as follows:
Draft Monitoring Report on Progress toward the Energy Road Map - The draft Monitoring Report prepared by the INOGATE Technical Secretariat with contributions from the Partner Countries and specifically the Country Coordinators and Working Group members was presented for discussion. The overall trend in all four cooperation areas of the INOGATE Programme is positive especially considering the short duration of the reporting period i.e. 2007-2008. Although results vary according to the partner country, the general conclusions are:
Least progress has been made regarding regulatory reform, market opening and unbundling.
Most progress has been made in the areas of energy efficiency and renewable energies in terms of policy and legal frameworks.
INOGATE technical assistance support to Partner Countries – All ongoing and recently completed projects were presented by the relevant project contractors with a view to gauging the opinion of the Partner Countries on the effectiveness of activities in supporting them toward the achievement of the Energy Road Map objectives. The Partner Countries were overall satisfied with the developments but identified the general need for better communication and collaboration between contractors and beneficiaries. The upcoming projects were also presented and the Partner Countries showed interest in the projects but urged the EC not to duplicate the extensive work that has already been undertaken with the assistance of the EC.
Attracting investment to energy projects - A special session was included in the round table in which the financial institutions EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development), EIB (European Investment Bank), World Bank, KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, Germany) and BNP Paribas presented the latest information regarding possibilities for financing.
Participants in the round table included approximately 40 representatives of the INOGATE Partner Countries from energy ministries, regulators and energy companies. The Partner Countries present at the meeting included Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Other participants included European Commission representatives from DG EuropeAid and DG External Relations, representative of financial institutions, INOGATE project contractors and the INOGATE Technical Secretariat.
With the opportunity of the round table, the new INOGATE web portal was presented to participants for comments prior to its launch in summer 2008. The portal was welcomed as a useful tool for improving communication between the INOGATE stakeholders and also for increasing visibility of the programme's achievements to a wider audience. A dedicated IT training session was held the day after the round table for the Country Coordinators and INOGATE project contractors.
The available documents for downloading are: