In the energy sector climate information can play a strategic role, particularly in hot spot regions such as the Mediterranean region. In order to limit GHG emissions, within the European Union framework there will be opportunities for trading renewable energy quotas among member states and to gain credit for electricity imported from renewable sources in countries outside the European Union. This framework will trigger new strong interaction between climate information providers and energy sector stakeholders. The basic assumption of this perspective, of course, is that a prediction of climate on multi-decadal time scales is attainable. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.