| Background - Project Purpose - Expected Results - Organisation Chart - Consortium BACKGROUND
The MED-ENEC project results from recent initiatives taken under the European Union Energy Initiative (EU-EI) "after Kyoto", for which GTZ provides the Project Management Unit for the Partnership Dialogue Facility. The MED-ENEC Project on Energy Efficiency in the Construction Sector is considered as a major element in designing and implementing cooperation efforts between the EU and MEDA Countries and between MEDA countries themselves, in response to such global initiatives.
The EU's proximity policy towards the Mediterranean region is governed by the global and comprehensive Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, launched at the 1995 Barcelona Conference between the European Union and its Mediterranean Partners (called the Barcelona Process). The MEDA programme is the principal financial instrument of the European Union for the implementation of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. The first legal basis of the MEDA programme was the 1996 MEDA Regulation. On November 2000, a new improved regulation establishing MEDA II for the period of 2000-2006 was adopted. Most of the MEDA countries are characterised by a strongly contrasted situation with, on the one hand urban and industrialised centres consuming a lot of energy and on the other hand, rural areas where the energy consumption rate is extremely limited and access to energy is often very low. This situation will subsist or even escalate, since most MEDA countries are facing high growth in population. According to the United Nations and the International Energy Agency, it is expected that the population will increase from 240 million in 2000 to 323 million in 2020. Moreover, the urban populations are expected to increase from 150 million in 2000 to 250 million in 2020. Taking into account the economic growth, it is considered that the energy consumption in this period will be more than doubled. Hence, the growth in population and economy as well as the urbanisation puts pressure on the existing energy infrastructure competing with other infrastructure needs such as health, education, etc. In this context the building stock is one of the principal consumers, since it is responsible for about 25-45% of the final energy consumption with ascending tendency. The largest potential for improvements exists especially in urban areas: Since twenty years the urban style of living in the MEDA region has changed and has been accompanied by a massive increase in the use of electrical equipment. All these equipments are more and more widespread in "affluent" families, although their diffusion rate is far below the level known in the northern Mediterranean countries. Thus, a growing increase in domestic electricity use is likely to remain steady in the future. Especially the reduction of the cooling demand calls for a holistic approach, to integrate demand side management and energy efficiency in the planning process of buildings. The MED-ENEC project will follow a sustainable business approach, which includes demonstration projects and capacity building into an integrated effort. Therefore, the project will put its focus on strengthening business services and supporting markets, improve institutional capacities and establish favorable institutional structures as well as fiscal and economic instruments. Pilot projects will be carried out mainly for demonstration and training purposes. Established dissemination structures will ensure knowledge transfer. The capacity building approach combines national and regional workshops and consulting events. Best practices will be presented; experiences and information exchanged and implementation plans for the pilot projects established.
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