Energy resources are an important issue to be considered in the Mediterranean region, because they are a source of cooperation but also of tension. The oil and gas flows are, therefore, a key to stability and prosperity in Europe and the Arab world. The new regional developments that have taken place recently have highlighted the importance of these resources and the need for a more efficient and intelligent management of them in the future.

With this in mind, a brainstorming session took place on 15 July 2013 in Barcelona with the goal of evaluating the possibility of launching a political process around these long-term issues. The meeting took the form of a closed-door seminar at the headquarters of CIDOB in collaboration with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES). Spanish and international experts on energy, institutional representatives of Catalonia and of the Spanish private sector took part.