During its General Assembly on Monday, 5 May 2014, the European Renewable Energies Federation
(EREF) elected a new President, Mr Savvas Seimanidis. He succeeds Mr Rainer Hinrichs-Rahlwes, who has been EREF’s President for the past four years.
“By becoming increasingly mainstream over the last years, renewable energy sources are now facing
new challenges and stronger competition from fossil fuels and nuclear energy, accentuated by the
on-going economic crisis ” said Mr Seimanidis on the occasion of his election.
“While the benefits and the necessity of implementing a gradual energy fuel and system transition
towards decentralised renewable energies are now obvious, more and more institutional barriers
and opposition against such a transition appear to be raised from the incumbent energy industry. It is
therefore critical for the renewable energy sector to convince decision makers and stakeholders
across the EU to stick to the vision and plan for an efficient, renewables based European energy
framework for the future. I am honoured to have the trust and the backing of the EREF members to
strive to achieve this crucial objective”, stated Mr Seimanidis.
Mr Seimanidis has been representing the Greek Association of Renewable Electricity Producers in the
Board of EREF since 2010 and has served as EREF Vice-President since 2012. As an independent
consultant, he is specialized in the implementation of renewable and rational use of energy projects
in Greece and the EU. He has been active in the design, development, management and promotion
of various relevant national and international programmes and studies for over 25 years.
EREF’s new President “would like to warmly thank our outgoing President, Mr Hinrichs-Rahlwes, for
leading EREF with a steady hand during the past four difficult years and is looking forward to
continue benefiting from his most valuable knowledge and experience in his new capacity as EREF
Vice-President”.