Following an invitation by Professor George Prevelakis, Greece’s Ambassador to the Permanent Greek Delegation at OECD in Paris, IENE’s Executive Director, Mr. Costis Stambolis, participated in a Roundtable Meeting organized at the Delegation’s headquarters in Villa Said in Paris, on Monday, May 19, 2014Following an invitation by Professor George Prevelakis, Greece’s Ambassador to the Permanent Greek Delegation at OECD in Paris, IENE’s Executive Director, Mr. Costis Stambolis, participated in a Roundtable Meeting organized at the Delegation’s headquarters in Villa Said in Paris, on Monday, May 19, 2014. The scope of the Roundtable was to examine Greece’s role in the emerging Energy and Sea Lanes of the East Mediterranean. The Roundtable was convened upon the initiative of Professor George Prevelakis on the occasion of Greece’s EU Presidency for the current term. The underlying idea of Prof. Prevelakis was to examine energy and sea transportation in the East Mediterranean in the context of the region’s geography, long history and cultural ties.
The first session of the Roundtable was concerned with the rising importance of the Mediterranean and its new role as an energy and transportation hub, crucial to European supply needs. In addition to Prof. Prevelakis, there was a contribution by Prof. Dinos Arkumanis, Greece’s Ambassador at Large for Energy and Environment. Greece’s Minister of Shipping and Maritime Affairs, Mr. Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, who was unable to participate personally in the Roundtable, had sent an address which was read by Prof. Prevelakis.
The second session of the Roundtable was devoted to energy and shipping with two keynote speakers. Mr. Max Vautier, President of Paris-based LNG Brokers, presented an analysis of the rising LNG traffic in the East Med and also identified a number of challenges and opportunities in the LNG sector in the region in the years ahead.
Then, IENE’s Executive Director presented an analysis on the potential hydrocarbon energy resources of the region and how these could be used to help diversify somewhat EU’s heavy fuel import dependence. The Roundtable concluded with a lively discussion where the heads and economic counselors from several OECD delegations participated.
IENE is now putting together a special microsite where all presentations will be loaded. IENE members and participants to the Roundtable Meeting will be informed in due course of the site’s availability and access code.
