As business is gradually grinding to a halt due to the prolonged summer recess in most SE European countries, IENE has completed publication of its latest round of newsletters and reports which it has already circulated to its members and associates. In that respect June and July were buzzing with activity at IENE headquarters in Athens as several special reports, studies and newsletters were completedAs business is gradually grinding to a halt due to the prolonged summer recess in most SE European countries, IENE has completed publication of its latest round of newsletters and reports which it has already circulated to its members and associates. In that respect June and July were buzzing with activity at IENE headquarters in Athens as several special reports, studies and newsletters were completed.
On June 27 and on the occasion of the EU Summit in Ypres and Brussels the Institute published a Briefing Note No 3 entitled "Energy Security at the forefront of European Energy Policy”. This Briefing Note in addition to the commentary prepared by IENE staff also included copy of the actual EC report which is an extremely useful document for anyone who is interested on matters related to energy policy and planning. Next came completion of the June issue of "SE Europe’s Energy Brief-Market Insight” (issue No. 136) which as usual contained a very topical analysis of the ‘market forces’ at play and the upward and downward pressures which they exert in the formation of energy prices. This issue also covered key international and regional market oriented developments including Iraq’s long term oil production prospects, European Energy Policy, the unconventional oil revolution, oil price fluctuation, IEA’s Medium Term Gas Report, Eurelectric’s latest study on energy prices etc.
Next came the publication of the July- August double issue of "SE Europe’s Energy Brief-Market Watch” (Νο 137) and the Monthly Analysis (No 139) in the same series which was entitled as "Between Two Major Geopolitical Crises- The Impact on South East Europe. Part I: The Ukrainian Heritage”. The analysis, which was authored by IENE’s Senior Research Associate Ioannis Sotriropoulos, sought to explain the underlying factors which are currently influencing developments in the region and beyond.
To round up the information package send to IENE members the Institute’s staff completed the quarterly " Market Fundamentals and Prices” (issue No. 138) which as usual contained comprehensive information on prices and trends for crude oil and oil products, natural gas, electricity, coal and gas emissions. Finally, early in August IENE released its long standing quarterly publication, the ‘SE Europe Energy Review’ (issue No. 142) which touched upon the precarious situation that SE Europe has lately found itself into surrounded by a host of conflict zones( i.e Russo-Ukraine crisis,the Gaza conflict in Israel, the rise of the new Chalifate in Iraq, the Libyan in fighting). Also in SE Europe Energy Review the reader will find news and analysis on the South Stream project and the Eurasian, Central Asia and Black Sea and the East Mediterranean regions’ energy developments.
Earlier in July IENE’s team of experts completed the final draft of a major study which the Institute has been working on for more than a year now and is concerned with the setting up of a "Regional Gas Trading Hub” to serve the needs of SE Europe. The study seeks to clarify the gas and economic/trading environment which will prevail by 2018/2019 and will most likely enable the development of suitable conditions to allow bilateral and trilateral gas trading between Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria in a first phase of operations .Depending on its technical and commercial characteristics the proposed hub could, at a later stage, serve the needs of a much broader SE European region building alliances with some of the existing and well established hubs of central and western Europe. The findings of the study will be announced sometime in September following the study’s presentation to the group of sponsors which supported financially IENE for the undertaking of the study.
