The European Union is looking south to strengthen its long-term energy security. The European Commission has launched the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy and Clean Tech Cooperation, known as T-MED, a new initiative designed to accelerate renewable energy, green hydrogen, modern electricity networks and clean technology manufacturing across the southern Mediterranean region. The initiative aims to mobilise up to €25 billion in expected public and private investment by 2035.
The strategy is based on a simple but powerful idea: the region has some of the best untapped renewable energy resources close to Europe. According to the European Commission, the Mediterranean partner region has around 2,300 GW of renewable energy potential, mainly from solar and onshore wind, with additional opportunities in geothermal and offshore wind. Brussels also estimates that solar and wind power generation in countries such as Morocco, Egypt or Tunisia can be 30% to 40% cheaper than in the EU.
For Europe, T-MED is not only a climate policy tool. It is also part of a broader effort to reduce exposure to fossil fuel price shocks, replace Russian gas in the long term and limit dependence on Chinese clean technology supply chains. The initiative will therefore focus not only on renewable power plants, but also on grids, green hydrogen, worker training and local clean tech manufacturing, including components for wind and solar projects.
The Commission expects T-MED to support the deployment of 15 GW of new renewable energy capacity by 2035 and help create more than 100,000 jobs in clean energy sectors. To reduce investment risk, the EU has made available more than €5 billion in guarantee capacity through the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus, with the goal of unlocking additional capital from public and private investors.
The first steps are already underway. The European Commission has opened calls for expressions of interest from private investors and project developers. Financial institutions, commercial banks, asset managers and impact funds can apply until June 15, 2026, while project promoters will be able to apply until August 15, 2026. The first operational meeting of the T-MED Investment Platform is expected in October 2026, with the first EU-Mediterranean clean tech industrial partnerships planned for 2027.
f successful, T-MED could turn the Mediterranean into one of the key clean energy corridors of the next decade. For electric mobility in Europe, the implications are significant: more affordable renewable electricity would strengthen the entire electrification process, from EV charging infrastructure to battery production, industrial supply chains and the wider transition away from fossil fuels.
Source: European Commission.