Ministerial meetings to discuss clean energy solutions and post-COVID-19 recovery

Saudi Arabia will host two major ministerial meetings in the energy sector on 22–23 September 2020. The meetings will take place online. The Clean Energy Ministerial meeting (CEM11) and the 5th Mission Innovation Ministerial meeting (MI-5) will bring together representatives from the G20 countries, the Nordic countries, and from the European Commission to discuss ways of accelerating the transition to clean energy solutions. The CEM meeting will be attended by ministry representatives from almost all the participating countries.

The CEM11 will take place on Tuesday 22 September. In line with its theme “Supporting the recovery, shaping the future”, the meeting will focus on measures available in the energy sector to recover from the coronavirus epidemic and new ways to accelerate the clean energy transition. The MI-5 meeting will outline future forms of cooperation. The meetings will be chaired by HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, Minister of Energy of Saudi Arabia.

“Finland boasts cutting-edge expertise in clean energy solutions, as evidenced by the value of our energy technology exports, which amount to billions of euros annually. Global energy networks offer Finland excellent opportunities to showcase our expertise, and we will continue to tap into these opportunities in the future,” envisions Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä.

Finland will be the first of the EU Member State to speak on 22 September at the CEM meeting, in which the participants will discuss concrete measures for actively promoting clean energy by 2030. Finland emphasises the role of clean energy innovations and investments in the post-COVID-19 recovery, and the role of the CEM as a forum for promoting clean energy solutions in the decade ahead.

At the MI-5 meeting on 23 September, the participants will discuss the reform of the Mission Innovation Initiative and the forms of cooperation going forward. Finland supports the promotion of MI missions. The upcoming initiatives will foster global innovations such as the Power-to-X projects, and hydrogen-powered and clean maritime traffic solutions.

After the CEM11 and MI-5 meetings, the G20 energy ministers will meet in Riyadh on 27–28 September.

The CEM11 and MI-5 meetings provide governments, leading cleantech organisations, innovators and financiers with an opportunity to engage in high-level dialogue and share best practices for accelerating the transition to a low-carbon future. Public and private sector commitment builds cooperation between the industry sector, governments and civil society, and helps to scale clean energy solutions for global application.

Created in 2010, the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) is a global forum where 25 major economies (G20+) and the Nordic countries work together to share best practices and promote policies and programs that encourage and facilitate the transition to a global clean energy economy. CEM members account for approximately 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 90% of global clean energy investments.

Mission Innovation (MI) is a global initiative to accelerate global clean energy innovation and projects to make clean energy readily available.

Inquiries:
Nina Alatalo, Adviser to the Minister of Economic Affairs (EU Affairs), Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 29 504 7171
Riku Huttunen, Director-General, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 50 4316518    
Juho Korteniemi, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 50 567 0715