Nicoló Sartori
While it is clear to many that gas in the Eastern Mediterranean is an opportunity for the entire region, it is equally clear that concrete initiatives on the industrial plan must be launched in adequate times and manner
In recent years, the development of gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean has fueled high expectations in the region and globally. Not only as a strengthening factor of energy policies for the players involved, but also as a real geopolitical game-changer and uniting element in an area that is still very unstable and divided. In addition to this is the hope that gas discoveries will act as a catalyst for greater cooperation between the European Union (Italy in particular) and the southern Mediterranean countries, the Mare Nostrum too often becoming a disaggregating element rather than a™ driver of peace and prosperity. However, as emerged from the conference organized in October by the Institute of International Affairs (IAI) and by the Italian Centre for Peace in the Middle East (CIPMO), optimism regarding the possible development of hydrocarbons in the region must necessarily deal with a series of local dynamics, time constraints and economic and industrial factors that will significantly influence the possibilities for gas exploration and export from the area.
