LIFE SB-MED Euro-Mediterranean Conference, Athens, 9-11 Juin 2005

LIFE SB-MED Euro-mediterranean Conference, Athens , 9-11 June 2005

 Conference and Training Centre of the National Bank of Greece 





On SD-MED's own initiative and under its scientific and organizational co-ordination, an International Conference (SB05MED) was held in Athens on the 9th-11th June 2005, in the frame of the LIFE SB-MED Projects which was elaborated by the SD-Med Informal Network, with the title «Sustainable Construction: action for sustainability in the Mediterranean region».

The Conference has been hosted by the Municipality of Athens, the Municipality of Athens Development Agency, beneficiary of the LIFE SB-MED Project and by  some LIFE SB-MED Project partners ( UEHR, Panteion University and the NGO Clean-Up Greece). It has been supported by the International organisations iiSBE, CIB, UNEP/DTIE and OECD, by the UIA/ARES Group, the UMAR, the GBC Spain etc.

 

The event has been fully supported by the LIFE-ENV EC Programme and was put under the aegis of the Mayor of Athens, the Minister of Development and the Central Union of Municipalities and Communities of Greece.

This event was, in parallel, a part of the SB04 regional event series and as such treated in the preparation for the Global Sustainable Building 2005 Conference that was to be held in September 2005 in Tokyo (SB05Tokyo, url: www.sb05.com ).

The culmination of this Mediterranean Event was the «Sustainable Building and Construction Mediterranean Report» dealing with regional issues to be solved regarding the concept and implementation of sustainable building. It also provided an overview of issues and barriers calling for regional, European and international attention. The official languages of the conference were Greek, English and French.

Should you need more information, download the Proceedings of the Meeting ( ) and the Conference Programme ( ). 

under the aegis of the  Municipality of Athens supported by LIFE

For the spot/announcement of the event, please click on the image below:

Salutation of the Minister of Development Mr Dimitrios SIOUFAS



I would like to thank you for the invitation to address an introductory speech to your International Conference titled "Sustainable Construction: Action for sustainability in the Mediterranean region", organised by the International Association SD-MED. Allow me to congratulate the organizers, as well as the Municipality of Athens and the Central Union of Municipalities and Communities of Greece, for supporting this exceptionally significant discussion on sustainable development via sustainable construction.

The new era characterised by increased requirements and needs calls for the creation of a different model of development. A model with qualitative characteristics, close to the citizen, but also environment friendly.

To this end, among other measures we plan to create a new energy model, which will be based on an integrated energy policy with explicit objectives and new parameters: the rational use of energy, the vast use of natural gas and the promotion of renewable energy sources which are abundant in our country.

A priority aim for the leadership of the Ministry of Development is the adoption of a long-term energy policy with a well determined aim and timetable, as well as the exploitation of all possibilities offered by modern technology. Despite the weaknesses and problems of the past, the Government has already proceeded to a series of actions and measures to make up for lost time, to determine the terms and conditions for a stable and fertile enterprising environment, and to create important investment opportunities and enhance competitiveness in the Greek economy. I am mainly referring to:

1) the new developmental law that promotes the development of new and old enterprises with subsidies up to 55% of the investment, the modernization and the exploitation of new technologies.

2) the issue of a joint ministerial decision in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works,on the installation of small co-generation plants and photovoltaic panels in the urban texture.

3) the promotion of national spatial planning for the facilitation of investments in all the sectors and especially in the renewable energy sources.

 4) the decision on the subsidy for the interconnection of RES with the existing electricity network (50% deduction from taxes of EPAN). It is pointed out that in the last EPAN assessment, 44 projects of renewable energy sources were approved (total budget: 110 million Euros). Today, for the use of renewable energy sources and bioclimatic architecture in buildings, 19 projects are being materialized by the EPAN (total budget:18 million Euros), in which the following categories of investments in buildings are financed: photovoltaic systems, passive systems of heating, cooling and lighting in buildings of the tertiary sector and residential units covering an area greater than 1000m2, and central energetic solar systems for the production of hot water for domestic or industrial use or for air heating from solar collectors.

At the same time, in the Ministry of Development, special committees have been formed in order to deal with the incorporation in the national network of: 1) the directive pertaining to the energy efficiency of buildings based on the successful precedent of energy labelling of domestic appliances, which means that: the sale or the hire of real properties should be accompanied by a certificate showing the energy record of the building. In this way, a powerful motive will be provided for the energy upgrade of the building stock. As regards new buildings, the conformity with the regulations is established covering each particularity of production and use.

2) the directives on the promotion and support of efficient co -production of electricity and beneficial heat with the establishment of suitable institutions of certification of electric energy is produced by the co - generation of high output. We have designated year 2005 as the year of energy saving. Shortly the Ministry of Growth in collaboration with the Public Power Corporation and the Centre for Renewable Energy Sources will launch a campaign for informing and sensitizing the public on energy saving. Moreover, in order todeal with the acute problem of increased power demand, the first direct measure was published in the JMD, having as objective the installation of compensation systems in public buildings, by June 30, 2005. We begin this effort from the public sector, while energy saving costs shall total tens of millions of Euros. This measure shall be implemented in the future in large industrial and commercial buildings.

Citizens should not be mere consumers, indifferent to issues connected with the use of energy; they must be well informed, active citizens using energy with responsibility and consistently participating in a common effort to implement energy saving measures.

Economic development does not necessarily entail energy and environmental burdens. Our goals are all achievable. All together, we can do better. For this reason, I would like to congratulate you for the Conference organization and I am looking forward to its outcomes and conclusions.

Dimitrios SIOUFAS

Minister of Development

For the video film of the event, please click on the image below: