Summer School on Transport Regulation
Participate in the most pressing debates on the regulation of transport in the European Union through hands-on activities based on real cases and examples presented by academics, regulatory authorities and ministries, the European Commission and industry leaders. Be part of the discussion, presenting your own views.
The Summer School provides the best opportunity for professionals working on the regulation of transport to update their perspectives on the most recent topics, and to share their views with public officials, industry colleagues and academics, as well as to newcomers to familiarise with the regulatory debates in the industry.
During this residential summer school at the European University Institute’s premises in Florence, you will have an opportunity to dive deep into the main issues affecting the transport and mobility sectors, namely competitiveness, decarbonisation and digitalisation challenges in the transport sector. The programme will dedicate a full day to studying each of these topics, with specific attention to railways and aviation, but also to the main transversal challenges.
After completing this Summer School on Transport Regulation, you will be able to answer the following burning issues affecting the transport and mobility sectors:
- What are the key challenges confronting the European transport and mobility sectors today?
- What are the main evolutions of the EU approach to regulating transport and mobility?
- What are the main limitations of the liberalisation agenda in light of the new challenges posed by decarbonisation and digitalisation?
- What are the main policy and technology tools available to tackle decarbonisation and digitalisation?
- How can digitalisation and decarbonisation become better aligned with the EU’s market approach for promoting the Single European Transport Area?
- How can the EU transport make the EU competitive?
In addition, enrolling in the Summer School guarantees you a spot at the academic conferences on Rail Regulation (13 July 2026), Aviation Regulation (17 July 2026) and Maritime Regulation (17 July 2026).
Register by 12 April 2026 for a 10% discount!
In the last five years the geostrategic context has shifted considerably. War, trade imbalances and a decline in competitiveness due to policies such as decarbonisation create new challenges. New policies are necessary to ensure the resilience of European transport and the global competitiveness of European companies.
The main driver of EU transport policy over recent decades has doubtlessly been the construction of the Single European Transport Area (SETA). This broad objective remains relevant as there are obvious gains in competitiveness when reducing fragmentation and increasing competition in the SETA. Prof. Montero and Prof. Finger in their introduction to the Summer School will provide an overview of the European Transport Policy and the SETA.
However, additional competitive gains can be achieved by reinforcing a systemic approach in European transport, and regulation has an important role to play. Fragmentation in the transport ecosystem due to vertical and horizontal separation reduces efficiency, and the current regulatory framework lacks coordination tools. Urban nodes play a fundamental role in such a systemic approach. EU transport policy has always focused on corridors, but more attention should be paid to nodes, and in the case of transport, nodes are in and around cities and metropolitan areas. Nodes are indeed key to increasing the efficiency and resilience of the overall transport system. They are also key to competitiveness. On July 9 the whole day of the training is dedicated to the competitiveness in EU Transport. Prof. Thanos Pallis will explore competitiveness in maritime transport. Prof. Matthias Finger will present lessons on industrial policy in transport, SESAR, ERTMS.
Digitalisation enables new efficiencies because it facilitates information exchange and coordination. It is the best tool to reinforce a systemic approach. Furthermore, digitalisation empowers more active infrastructure management to create efficiencies in all the network industries. Regulation is necessary to accelerate business-to-business data exchanges when bottlenecks persist, which is often the case in transport. Prof. Juan Montero will share his vision on simplification of digital regulation in transport. Pauline Aymonier will speak about Digitalisation of infrastructure.
The Draghi Report calls for a more active industrial strategy. Transport is a good case in point as it has been at the frontline of large innovation programmes in the EU (ERTMS, SESAR, etc.). Investment in transport programmes should not be replaced by investment in new technologies such as AI and new materials etc. but combined with them. Valuable lessons can be learnt from the difficulties in implementing technologies developed by these programmes.
In the next five years there will need to be a focus on implementing decarbonisation legislation, which will lead to important challenges. Prof. Steven Truxal will explore the carbon leakage risks facing the aviation sector and SAF regulation.
There is a chicken-and-egg problem, as the supply of chargers for electric vehicles and providers of alternative fuels in general is too slow, thus limiting the uptake. Furthermore, transport is the hardest-to-abate emission sector in Europe. In the longer term, as decarbonisation in transport progresses, energy might well become a bottleneck and costs will increase, thus challenging connectivity. The Draghi Report is particularly vocal about aligning decarbonisation with industrial policy. In transport this means that innovations need to be supported to develop new technologies. Massive investment in the deployment of existing and future solutions will have to be ensured, making decarbonisation not only a challenge but an opportunity. Doubts will deter the necessary investments and exacerbate the chicken-and-egg problems. However, flexibility is necessary to accommodate the targets and obligations in these hard-to-abate sectors.
Against this backdrop, the third edition of the Summer School on Transport Regulation will enable participants to share insights on the fundamental regulatory principles of the transport sector through hands-on activities based on real cases and examples with instructors from academia, national regulatory authorities and ministries, the European Commission and the industry.
After completing this course participants will have:
- a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental regulatory principles of the EU’s transport and mobility sectors;
- acquired knowledge of the most pressing transversal issues affecting transport and mobility, namely digitalisation, decarbonisation, and resilience; and
- the ability to recognise the main limitations of the liberalisation agenda in transport;
- obtained a solid understanding of the main policy and technology tools available to tackle decarbonise transport while making it smarter and more resilient;
- familiarised themselves with best practices and experiences across the different transport modes.
In addition, registering for the Summer School secures you a place for the academic conferences on Rail Regulation (13 July 2026), Aviation Regulation (17 July 2026) and Maritime Regulation (17 July 2026). The conferences will evaluate the existing policies and analyse new proposals to accelerate the growth of the Railways, Aviation and Maritime Industries. The approach would be interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary, allowing for a specific yet holistic overview of the current regulatory frameworks. They will discuss current economic and regulatory policies relating to air and rail transport and identify future regulatory challenges.
The course is given in English and developed for:
- Professionals engaged in the regulation of the transport sector
- Professionals engaged in the different transport modes
- Government agencies
- Regulatory bodies
- NGOs
- European and national transport-related associations
Course Programme
14 July Day 1 – Market regulation
- 09.00 – 10.30 Introduction to EU transport regulation
- 11.00 – 12.45 Parallel Session 1 – Land
- 11.00 – 12.45 Parallel Session 1 – Aviation
- 12.45 – 14.15 Lunch
- 14.15 – 16.00 Parallel Session 2 – Land
- 14.15 – 16.00 Parallel Session 2 – Aviation
- 16.30 – 18.00 Extra ATM session TBC
15 July Day 2 | Competitiveness
- 09.00 – 10.00 Session 1 – The competitiveness of European manufacturers
- 10.30 – 11.00 Coffee break
- 11.00 – 12.45 Session 2 – Research and innovation in transport: old and new programs
- 12.45 – 14.15 Lunch
- 14.15 – 16.00 Session 3 – Competitiveness and simplification
16 July Day 3 | Greening
- 9.00 – 10.30 Parallel session 1 – Land
- 9.00 – 10.30 Parallel session 1 – Aviation
- 10.30 – 11.00 Coffee break
- 11.00 – 12.45 Parallel session 2 – Land
- 11.00 – 12.45 Parallel session 2 – Aviation
- 12.45 – 14.15 Lunch
- 14.15 – 16.00 Final session
At the end of the course, participants will receive a Certificate of Participation.
Each year, the Florence School of Regulation – Energy and Climate (FSR Energy & Climate) awards scholarships for a wide variety of training courses targeting a broad audience of professionals and academics.
Applications will be assessed by a Selection Committee of FSR members on a yearly basis. The successful candidates will be informed after February 2026 and will be provided with all relevant information on how to enroll in the online course or residential training of their choice.
Send your application by 25 January 2026.
General fee: 2,500 €
Fee for FSR Transport donors and public authorities: 1,500 €
The fee includes participation at the Summer School and in the Rail Regulation Conference (13 July 2026), Aviation Regulation Conference (17 July 2026) and Maritime Regulation Conference (17 July 2026).
The fee does not include travel expenses & accommodation.
Deadline: 30 June 2026 for registration and payment
Cancellation Policy
Paid registration fee is non-refundable. However, registrant substitution may be made up to 20 days before the course’s start date.
For more information, please read the full FSR cancellation policy.
FAQs Invoicing and Payment Process
For further information, please contact: fsr.conferences@eui.eu
