The first conference of the third phase of the consultation forum for sustainable energy in the defense and security sector (CF SEDSS III)

The first two-day conference to be held under the auspices of the German EU Presidency and organised by the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS) and the German Ministry of Defence, took place on 27 and 28 October 2020.

Some 170 experts from 29 European countries and more than 20 different institutions and organisations participated in the event. It should be noted that the RESHUB project (the Defence RESilience Hub Network in Europe) was particularly highlighted by the opening speakers as an example of the Europe-wide integration of member states in defence. The project was initiated by the Slovenian Ministry of Defence (Si MoD) within the framework of CF SEDSS activities.

Col. Robert Šipec from Si MoD, who is also a representative of SiEnE, took an active part in the conference as moderator in the area of CF SEDSS themes. Representatives of SiEnE and TECES also took part in the conference, following invitation.

The two-day conference, originally scheduled to take place in Berlin but re-organised as an online event due to Covid-19, marks the kick-starting of the three-year long third phase of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector. The objectives set out in Phase III are far more ambitious than those of Phase I and II, in part thanks to greater funding from the European Commission.

The conference was opened with speeches by Barbara Wießalla (Head of the Directorate-General for Infrastructure, Environmental Protection and Services at the German Ministry of Defence), Tudor Constantinescu (Principal Adviser to the Director-General for Energy at the European Commission) and Jiří Šedivý, EDA’s Chief.

It should be noted that the RESHUB project (Defence RESilience Hub Network in Europe), which was initiated by Si MoD, was highlighted by the opening speakers. The initiative of a Europe-wide integration of Member States in the area of defence was specified in the CF SEDSS framework. You can read more about the approval of technical support for the RESHUB project at the EDA web page.

The aim of the RESHUB project is to set up a network of self-sufficient energy hubs in the EU and Slovenia. Over the past few months, the project has gained considerable international recognition – due in part to the EU’s increasing strategic orientation towards hydrogen technologies.

Some 170 experts from 29 European countries and more than 20 different institutions and organisations, including a number of Slovenian representatives from Si MoD, SiEnE and TECES, participated in the event.

About CF SEDSS

The Consultation Forum for Sustainable energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS) is a European Commission-funded initiative managed by the EDA.

This Forum was established with the primary scope of creating a community to share information, knowledge and best practice on addressing the energy and environmental challenges of the future in the defence sector. Its activities are oriented towards improving energy management, increasing energy efficiency and buildings performance, utilising renewable energy sources, and enhancing the resilience of defence-related critical energy infrastructure within the defence sector.

CF also addresses crossover topics such as energy management/policy and innovative technologies, and identifies co-funding and financial instruments for potential use in defence energy-related projects. The Forum will also support the generation of energy-related project ideas in the area of defence, as well as studies with potential for initiating new collaborative projects among Member States.

Today, the Consultation Forum is the largest European energy-related community in the sphere of defence, with around 150 members from 30 different European countries (all EU Member States, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and NATO), as well as experts from industry, research and technology organisations, and academia.

With the support of the European Commission, EDA has implemented two phases: the first phase ran from October 2015 to October 2017 and the second from October 2017 to August 2019. Building on the successful outcome of these two phases and to address emerging and future challenges in the field of energy, EDA and the European Commission launched the third phase on 1st October 2019. This will run over a period of four years, until 30 September 2023.

You can read more about the Forum on the CF SEDSS web page.