Renewable Energy Transitions in Jordan and the MENA Region

Societies and markets around the world are progressively more integrated as a result of lower transport costs, faster communication tools and reduced barriers to trade. The process of increased social and economic integration, also known as globalisation, has been a powerful source of growth and reduction in poverty. From an historical perspective, the Mediterranean area has been a natural location for intense trade and has represented a strategic arena for social, economical, political and institutional reasons. The existence of a common past and geographic proximity alone is not enough to qualify the Mediterranean basin as a region. A region is not a mere geographic area; it should have a well-developed and sustainable institutional structure in order to fulfill its primary function - to address political and economic problems before they escalate to global concerns. Energy markets are not exempted from these dynamics, and actually play a crucial role in the context of regional integration.