21-10-02 The director-general of Energy and Transport in European Commission, Francois Lamoureux, joined deputy oil minister for International Affairs Hadi Nezhad-Hoseynian to inaugurate the Energy Cooperation Centre (ECC). The opening of the energy centre comes in the wake of several agreements Iran and the EU signed to significantly upgrade cooperation on energy issues of interest to both parties.
One of the agreements provides a framework for energy related issues, while another deals with the third joint session of the Iran-EU Expert Committee to review the results of the committee's yearlong work and ways to expand bilateral relations.

Both agreements were signed ahead of the conference between Iran and the European Union representatives, which is expected to be widely attended by oil and gas majors, and will also help Iran develop non-nuclear energy technologies.
The idea of establishing a joint energy working group between the two had been on the agenda of talks between the Islamic republic and the EU for some time and the establishment of the ECC is a major step toward transferring EU technology on renewable energy resources to Iran, more efficient fuel consumption, and sea, air, and rail transportation systems.

Lamoureux, who is heading a delegation of senior energy officials from the European Union to the third EU-Iran high-level working group here, said, "The committee meeting is important in cementing ties between Iran and EU."
The aim of the ECC is also to establish a contact point between the EU and Iran's energy sectors, provide a forum for exchange of ideas and information on non-nuclear energy technologies, provide training, identify priority projects, and provide technical assistance for the introduction of advanced non-nuclear technologies in Iran.
The centre begins its work with some 20 specialists in various fields and is jointly managed by Iran and the European Commission. The two sides will also take up another topic of importance in the energy sector, i.e. feasibility studies about the best route for transferring Iranian natural gas to EU countries.

Currently, two routes are under study. One would traverse Turkey and Greece, and would continue on to Western Europe. The second passes through Armenia and Ukraine and ends up in EU territory.
Financing for the latter route is currently being studied by the Energy Commission of the European Union. Regardless of which project gets the final nod of approval, or how it is financed, energy cooperation between Iran and the EU has risen to a new plateau that provides fertile ground for unprecedented and mutually beneficial ties in determining the optimal ways to use our planet's limited energy resources.