The seminar began on Monday 26 June with a fascinating reception on the beautiful terrace of the Hilton in Tel Aviv, overviewing the blue Mediterranean Sea and the 4,000 years old city of Jaffa The delegates were greeted by the presidents of INSOL Europe, Dr. Steffen Koch and INSOL International, Adam Harris, who were presented by the chair of the Israeli organising committee, Eitan Erez. The delegates then had dinner, overlooking the sunset in the Mediterranean Sea, enjoying opportunities for networking and making new friends.

Israel, which was only founded in 1948, is considered to be an island of relative economic stability in the Middle East. With 8 million citizens, the annual per capita income is high ($32,000 per annum) – 31st in the world. For comparison, Egypt, Israel’s neighbour, with 82 million citizens, has an annual per capita income of only...