The meeting of the Strategy Group of the International Energy Charter took place on 7-8 June 2017 at the Energy Charter Secretariat in Brussels. For the first time a full day was devoted to an Energy Dialogue on policy and market regulation, while the second day addressed issues related to the orientation and functioning of the Organisation.
The Energy Dialogue was opened by high-level representatives of the current, outgoing and incoming Chairmanships of the Energy Charter Conference (Turkmenistan, Japan and Romania): Mr Batyr Ashyrov, Deputy Minister of Energy of Turkmenistan; Mr Kazuo Kodama, Ambassador of Japan to the EU; and Ms Elena Popescu, Director General for Energy Policies, Ministry of Energy of Romania.
It was followed by three sessions dealing with regulation of the energy sector from different perspectives. There were country presentations on Serbia and Pakistan (acceding countries), Guatemala, Nigeria and Iran (observer countries); regional approaches from African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS –observer organization), Council for the European Energy Regulators (CEER) and the Mediterranean Energy Regulators (MEDREG); and from the Industrial Advisory Panel covering views on the natural gas industry at regional national and global levels.
The Energy Dialogue hosted the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Energy Charter Secretariat and the Nigeria Energy Commission, represented by its Director-General Professor Eli Jidere Bala. Furthermore, the Strategy Group dealt with a series of current issues, including the mid-term review of the 2017 Turkmen Chairmanship; the International Energy Charter’s strategic communications; the UNCTAD World Investment Report issued on 7 June 2017 and how the new trends in International Investment Agreements could be considered for further modernisation of the Energy Charter Process. Also covered was an update on the successful implementation of the policy on consolidation, expansion and outreach; the project publication on energy investment risk assessment; the new initiative on energy diplomacy dialogues; and the conclusions of the recent Ashgabat Energy Charter Forum on a multilateral transit agreement.
