CEEI Valencia participates in the new MER project

On Wednesday, 10th July, the Malta Intelligent Energy Management Agency (MIEMA) will be launching a new EU-funded MED Capitalization project called MER – Governance and Marketing for Industrial Areas. The event, consisting of a seminar and press conference, will start at 9.30 a.m. at the Corinthia Marina Hotel in St Julians.

The conference will be addressed by the Hon. Dr Konrad Mizzi, Minister for Energy and the Conservation of Water, Dr Marino Cavallo, representing the Province of Bologna (MER Project Lead Partner), Prof. Alfredo Valentino of the LUISS University of Rome, Prof. Euridice Cristo of Algarve University, Dr Stefano Mugnoz, from U-space and Roma 3 University, as well as representatives of the project partners and experts.

This Territorial Cooperation project aims at establishing a “network of networks” where to share experience and identify good practices which may be replicated to produce a European action plan, suitable to influence new policies towards a more sustainable development. MIEMA will also be hosting the kick-off meeting of the project, being held on Tuesday, 9th July.

The MER project is led by the Province of Bologna and includes other partners from Italy (ENEA – Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, and Informest – Service and Documentation Centre for International Economic Cooperation), Spain (FVMP – Valencian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, and CEEI – Valencia Business and Innovation Centre), France (Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Nice Cote d’Azur), Greece (Anatoliki S.A.), Portugal (CRIA – Algarve University), Slovenia (Urban Planning Institute)and Cyprus (CEA – Energy Agency).

All the project partners have been involved in transnational cooperation through the MED programme. In the MER project, they will be capitalizing on the results of their participation in previous projects dealing with energy, environmental issues and green marketing tools. They will now be producing guidelines, local action plans and a European roadmap to improve the region’s competitiveness within a framework of sustainable growth. Other project activities consist of study visits, conferences, joint technical workshops and training.

In Spain's case, the project will focus mainly on the development of renewable energy sources for industrial areas. It will build on the action plan drafted for Valencia through the KnowInG project, a MED project undertaken by the CEEI Valencia and Federación Valenciana de Municipios y Provincias implemented between June 2010 and May 2013.

The MED programme is funded mainly by the European Union through its European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) – forming part of the Cohesion Policy 2007-2013 “Europe in the Mediterranean”. MIEMA is assisted in the project by the Ministry for Energy and the Conservation of Water, which is providing the national co-financing required (15% of total budget). Anyone interested in attending the launch event (free of charge) should register by sending an email to [email protected]. A copy of the agenda is available on the MIEMA website, www.miema.org, under the section on latest events. Entities wishing to learn more about the project are invited to contact the energy agency.