FSR Talk with Prof. Nicolas Petit, EUI

We all see that Big Tech companies and platforms – notably the American Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, etc – have built powerful positions from which they never stop expanding. Netflix is another blatant demonstration. It begs the questions:

• Will Education, Health, even Public Government routine (as car registration & monitoring for road conduct enforcement) follow the same way to ‘’Moligopoly’’?
• Is this consequential for the rest of the economy and society? And why?
• What could be done to get it better or safer?

Watch the recording

Digitalization is transforming the energy sector by improving the efficiency in the planning, operation, and maintenance of the physical infrastructure, while opening the door to new forms of interactions and products in the energy field. The aggregation of distributed energy resources, the smart management of energy appliances and the trade of energy peer-to-peer are among the many opportunities that the digitalisation of energy supports.

Read the event highlights

 Watch the recording:

However, for digitalization to have its full impact and support a vibrant and competitive industry, data interoperability is key. Easy access to data and seamless sharing of information by different actors and applications is a necessary prerequisite for digitalisation to support the delivery of a low-carbon energy system with the consumers at its centre.

Energy is not the only sector being transformed by digitalization. Other industries are equally being disrupted. In this online event, we will discuss with academics active in the telecom and healthcare sector:

• why policymakers and regulators are well-advised to look beyond the boundaries of the energy sector.
• what we can learn from the experiences with digitalisation in telecom and with interoperability in healthcare.
• how we can successfully deliver on the promise of a digitalised citizen-centred energy sector.

Host

• Leonardo Meeus (FSR)

Speakers

• Nicolò Rossetto (FSR)
• Valerie Reif (FSR)

Discussants

• Volker Stocker (TU Berlin)
• Angelina Kouroubali (ICS-FORTH)

#FSRInsights

The series focuses on the insights from the FSR research.  These online events will give the FSR researchers the chance to share our research findings and to collect feedback on ongoing research by engaging with the audience and invited experts.

Subscribe to our newsletter to get notified about our upcoming events.

We acknowledge the financial support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 project INTERRFACE (grant agreement No 824330).

>> Watch the Webinar Recording here <<

Liberalisation of Passenger Train Services in India – Regulatory Challenges. Webinar on 22 January 2021

Inspired by the recently published “Handbook on Railway Regulation. Concepts and Practice” by Edward Elgar, this webinar, jointly organised by the Adani Institute of Infrastructure Management and FSR-Transport, will provide a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art in railway regulation in India.

Despite numerous liberalisation attempts in recent years, the railway sector is still excessively complex, with regulations varying throughout the world. The Handbook on Railway Regulation gathers, for the first time, these various approaches and practices, using a historical and systematic approach to identify the main lessons for all countries. Specific topics covered include the digitalisation dilemma in the industry, rail sector reforms and regulation, and competition in the market for rail freight and passenger services.

This Handbook provides an invaluable contribution to the discussion of railway regulation worldwide, and will be a crucial compendium for students and scholars of transportation, regulation and competition looking to explore different approaches to the topic. This will also be an invaluable read for railway policymakers and regulators looking to deepen their understanding of contemporary regulations around the world.

Among others, speakers will focus on the regulatory aspects pertaining to railway market opening, they will draw on lessons learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic on rail operations, and not the least they will shed light on the challenges that they face in meeting the sector’s needs of today and tomorrow.

AGENDA

10:30 – 10:35 | Welcome, Introduction of speakers

• Dr. Kamal Kishore Sharma, Professor, Adani Institute of Infrastructure Management

10:35-10:50 | Introduction of the Handbook on Railway Regulation

• Prof. Matthias Finger, Director of FSR-Transport, EUI; Co-editor of the Handbook on Railway Regulation

10:50 – 11:05 | Introduction of the Chapter ” Railways in India: challenges and opportunities”: structure of IR, past attempts of liberalisation, future outlook

• Dr. Rachna Gangwar, PhD, Faculty, Adani Institute of Infrastructure Management, Author of the chapter

11:05-11:50 | Three presentations

• Prof. G Raghuram,  Principal Academic Advisor at National Rail & Transportation Institute and Former Director, IIM Bangalore
• Prof. Sanjiv Garg,  Managing Director at Pipavav Railway Corporation Limited & Vice Chairman, Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport
• Prof. Juan Montero, Professor at EUI/ UNED, Co-editor of the Handbook on Railway Regulation

11:50 – 12:00 | Q&A Session moderated by Dr. Kamal Kishore Sharma, Professor, Adani Institute of Infrastructure Management 

12:00 | Webinar ends

Slides could be downloaded here.

European aviation has been confronted with serious capacity challenges and high levels of delay, in particular, during the two years (2018-2019) leading up to the onset of COVID-19. The pandemic has, subsequently, revealed that the European airspace system lacks resilience and the ability to absorb demand shocks, be these in the form of increases or drops in air traffic. Despite the economic hardship sustained by the entire aviation ecosystem, it has become clear that the European Commission’s level of climate ambition remains unchanged. In fact, the recovery phase has been framed as an opportunity to accelerate the shift towards a more sustainable, smarter and resilient mobility system. The European Green Deal identifies the Single European Sky (SES) as one of the key measures to “help achieve significant reductions in aviation emissions”. To ensure the sustainable development of the sector, the SES reform will stimulate a more flexible and scalable provision of air navigation services.

There is firm agreement within the aviation sector, that air traffic management (ATM) in Europe needs to be reformed to cope with both the sustained air traffic growth over the last decade and with significant, unforeseen traffic variations, such as those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This, in turn, calls for regulatory changes that promote a safe, cost- and flight-efficient European ATM system that will support the measures outlined in the European Green Deal and reduce aviation emissions. Once the pandemic is contained, it will be even more crucial to increase resilience, scalability and sustainability in the management of manned and unmanned air traffic.

In view of this, in September 2020, the European Commission proposed an upgrade of the SES regulatory framework, in order to modernise the management of European airspace and to establish more sustainable and efficient flightpaths. The amended proposal calls for the strengthening of the European network and its management to avoid congestion and suboptimal flight routes, the creation of an EU market for agile ATM data services provision and incentives, the streamlining of economic regulation for ATM, and for an enhanced coordination for the definition, development and deployment of innovative solutions, among others.

Building upon the conclusions of the 12^th Florence Air Forum on ‘How to make progress towards an Economic Regulator?’, the 15^th Florence Air Forum, jointly hosted by the Transport Area of the Florence School of Regulation and the European Commission’s DG MOVE, will provide a platform for in-depth discussion on some of the central elements of the proposed SES regulatory framework pertaining to the streamlining of economic regulation for ATM.

More specifically, the Forum will bring together key aviation actors to explore 1) the administrative integration of the Performance Review Body into EASA and the implications for the new distribution of tasks in relation to national economic regulators; 2) the distribution of tasks between the European regulator and the national supervisory authorities; and not the least 3) the legal, technical and practical considerations surrounding the proposed modulation of air navigation charges on the basis of the environmental footprint of the airspace user. While the negotiations between the EU Member States and the European Parliament on the SES proposal basic act is still ongoing, the discussions at the 15th Florence Air Forum will already address some of the more detailed and technical provisions, which also seek to inform the subsequent implementing and delegated acts.

SPEAKERS’ SLIDES:

Setting the scene and overview of main issues to be addressed:

Matthias Finger – Florence School of Regulation Transport Area

Session A: Institutionalising an independent European regulator: the administrative integration of the Performance Review Body (PRB) into EASA, and implications for the new distribution of tasks in relation to national economic regulators?

Regula Dettling-Ott – Performance Review Body

Partick Ky – European Union Aviation Safety Agency

Session B: What Should be the distribution of tasks between the PRB and the national supervisory authorities?

Walter Boltz – European Energy

Marek Bekier – Aviation Capacity Resources Sweden

Eduardo Abia – Spanish Aviation Safety and Security Agency

Session C: Modulation of charges: How can such or similar tools make a contribution to provide decarbonisation incentives without adding unnecessary complexity?

Andras Hujber – European Commission

Adriaan Heerbaart – EUROCONTROL

Conversation with Matthieu Craye, International Relations Officer at the DG ENER

EU has decided to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Japan, South Korea, South Africa has announced similar ambition, China is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2060. There is a strong expectation of substantial change in the US energy policy by incoming Biden administration in support of limiting GHG emissions. At the same time economies of Saudi Arabia and Russia continue to depend strongly from fossil fuel production and export.

How to make a smooth transition from fossil fuel markets to markets working in support of climate friendly energy policy?
How to provide that energy supplies are secure, affordable and sustainable?
How to forge forward looking energy partnerships?
What role could play international organisations and multilateral fora for dialogue?
How to advocate the advantages of the energy transition?

Join the FSR conversation to find answers to these and other burning questions.

#FSRConversations

Hosts: Prof. Andris Piebalgs and Prof. Christopher Jones

Each month, the series of conversations will feature leading actors and policy makers of the European and global energy landscape, interviewed by FSR with the key role of our audience that will be enabled to submit questions in advance.

Carbon leakage and use of offsets in carbon markets: state-of-play and implications for linking

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The second Online Debate of the project LIFE DICET will discuss the state-of-play and the implications for carbon markets linking of heterogeneous provisions for carbon leakage prevention and use of offsets.

The speakers will discuss questions such as: how do the existing ETSs differ with respect to carbon leakage prevention and to the use of offsets? Can ETS linking, which tends to limit carbon price differentials with other economies, play a role in reducing carbon leakage? To what extent can the article 6 of the Paris Agreement facilitate ETS linking while as the same time supporting the use of offsets? What are the implications of heterogeneity in carbon leakage measures and in environmental integrity for different possible forms of their integration?

Moderator:

• Simone BORGHESI, Director of FSR Climate

Speakers:

• Lambert SCHNEIDER, Research Coordinator for International Climate Policy Energy & Climate, Öko-Institut e.V.
• Michael GRUBB, Professor of Energy and Climate Change, Institute of Sustainable Resources & Energy Institute, University College London

Discussant: 

• Nicolás GONZÁLEZ CASARES (S&D, ITRE Committee), Member of the European Parliament

LIFE DICET is a project co-financed by the EU LIFE Programme of the European Commission.

The Linking Emissions Trading Systems webinar aims at summarising the Carbon Market Policy Dialogue about the relevance and challenges of linking emissions trading systems (ETSs). Following the Online Training, the objective of this webinar is to translate the research of the project LIFE DICET into learning and to bring it to a much wider audience. Special attention is devoted to the six ETSs represented in the Carbon Market Policy Dialogue (those of California, Quebec, EU, Switzerland, China and New Zealand) and to the research reports “Emissions Trading Schemes with different levels of environmental ambition: implications for linking” and “Emissions Trading Schemes with different price-control mechanisms: implications for linking”.

The reports offer conceptual frameworks to characterise environmental ambition and price control mechanisms. They also summarize the relevant scientific literature; they describe the current status of the six ETSs represented in the CMPD and, finally, they offer up a few ideas for discussion.

Watch the recording:

12.00-12.05: Welcome by Simone BORGHESI

12.05-12:25: Presentation of the report “Emissions trading systems with different levels of environmental ambition : implications for linking” by Stefano F. VERDE

12.25-12-45: Presentation of the report “Emissions trading systems with different price control mechanisms : implications for linking” by Giulio GALDI

12.45-13:00: Q&A

Reports:

VERDE, Stefano F., GALDI, Giulio, BORGHESI, Simone, FÜSSLER, Jürg, JAMIESON, Ted, WIMBERGER, Emily, ZHOU, Li, Emissions trading systems with different levels of environmental ambition : implications for linking – Report for the Carbon Market Policy Dialogue, Florence School of Regulation, Climate, LIFE DICET Project, 2020

GALDI, Giulio, VERDE, Stefano F., BORGHESI, Simone, FÜSSLER, Jürg, JAMIESON, Ted, WIMBERGER, Emily, ZHOU, Li, Emissions trading systems with different price control mechanisms : implications for linking – Report for the Carbon Market Policy Dialogue, Florence School of Regulation, Climate, LIFE DICET, Project, 2020

LIFE DICET is a project co-financed by the EU LIFE Programme of the European Commission.

The Vienna Forum on European Energy Law

The Vienna Forum on European Energy Law is an annual joint initiative of the FSR Energy Union Law Area and the Energy Community Secretariat which aims to bridge the gap in energy debate between the EU and Energy Community. This year, for the 8^th edition of the forum, we will be moving online with four webinars across four weeks, focused on the solidarity principle, the European climate law, carbon pricing, and the role of the private sector in the energy transition. To discuss these topics, we will bring together a panel of experts for a roundtable debate and a live Q&A session with our audience.

Webinar 4

The Private Sector to the Rescue of the Energy Transition: ESG and the Role of Banks

Introduction: Tibor Schaffhauser | Energy Community Secretariat

Roundtable Discussion

Moderator:

Leigh Hancher | FSR (RSCAS, EUI); Tilburg University; Baker Boots Botts LLP            

Panellists:      

Andrew McDowell | PricewaterhouseCoopers; formerly EIB

Kim Talus | Tulane University; University of Eastern Finland

Christine Würfel | Raiffeisen Bank International; Vienna Initiative

Eddie O’Connor | Mainstream Renewable Power

Lena Sandberg | Gibson Dunn LLP

Q & A with the live audience

Background to the Discussion

In November 2020, a budget of €1 trillion was approved by Member State governments for the European Investment Bank’s green roadmap to 2030. This will be directed toward investment in climate action, biodiversity, and sustainability-focused projects while future financing will be focused on accelerating clean energy innovation, energy efficiency and renewables. As part of its Climate Bank Roadmap, the bank has pledged that all financing activities will be aligned with the Paris Agreement by the end of the year, and funding will no longer be provided to fossil

fuel projects or airport expansions by 2021. What will be the scope of this new policy in practice? What will be financed and what will not be financed?

In parallel, the Sustainability-Related Disclosure Regulation (2019/2088) will become applicable in mid-2021 and will require certain financial market participants and advisers to provide investors with environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG)- related information in making investment decisions. The aim is to provide a greater level of transparency and sustainability within the financial markets in a standardised manner, thus preventing greenwashing and facilitating comparability. What are the standards for these sustainability disclosures? And what will be the wider implications of this regulation when it enters into force?

What will be the impact of these new developments on renewable and sustainable investments in Europe? Are the new rules clear enough to make a difference in practice? How will the sustainability-focused public sector financing impact upon renewable or sustainable energy investments in the coming years? Are there new opportunities? Is access to financing simple enough? What is the impact of national rules on investments in sustainability?

Two-hour webinar organised by the FSR Water and Waste area

How can Regulators and Utilities contribute to building resilient, sustainable, and green water and wastewater services?

The EU Commission has set out a bold and comprehensive plan for European recovery which will require massive public and private investment. This plan, based on solidarity and fairness, seeks to boost the green and digital transitions, and make the European economy fairer, more resilient and more sustainable for future generations. Forceful action is required to close the overall public and private investment gap of at least EUR 1.5 trillion, to repair the immediate economic and social damage caused by the pandemic, and set the Union firmly on the path to a sustainable and resilient recovery.

Water, as a vital good for society and the environment, and a critical input for the economy, represents a key aspect of the recovery potential of EU Members States, especially through the large externalities it generates. The aftermath of the pandemic crisis offers a unique opportunity to boost the resilience and sustainability of greener Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) services across Europe by supporting investments targeted towards ending addressing water emerging pollutants, strengthening the polluter-pays and cost-recovery principles in the future reforms of EU water legislation, incentivizing innovation and digitalization of WSS services, or addressing climate change and the pandemic impacts on WSS services through water risk-based approaches that sustain water security.

The FSR is holding a webinar to discuss these topics and explore how the EU Commission, Regulators, and Utilities can contribute to build resilient, sustainable and green water and wastewater services.

Programme

Introduction by Andrea Guerrini, ARERA

Session 1 moderated by Maria Salvetti, Florence School of Regulation

Reforming EU water legislation in the light of the emerging challenges

Neil Dhot, Executive Director of AquaFed

Milo Fiasconaro, Acqua Publica Europa

Luigi del Giacco, Utilitalia

Session 2 moderated by Stéphane Saussier, Florence School of Regulation

The role of regulators to incentivize innovation and digitalization of WSS services

Alan Sutherland, Water Industry Commission for Scotland

Itai Sag, Israel Water Authority

Oliver Loebel, EurEau

Session 3 moderated by Maria Salvetti, Florence School of Regulation

Addressing climate change and pandemic impacts on WSS services

Ivaylo Kolev, World Bank

Heather Smith, Cranfield Univesity

Robert Brears, Our Future Water

Concluding remarks

Findings from the FSR study on Hydrogen

The Florence School of Regulation has just released a major study examining the main drivers required to ensure a cost-effective decarbonisation energy policy for the EU, as well as a ‘Policy Brief’ on the future Guarantees of Origin system to regulate the EU’s future Energy Sector Integration based market.

In this online event, we will present the study and the policy brief, as well as discuss the main conclusions with the audience online.

Watch the recording:

Background

The study has as its primary focus the policies needed to guarantee the achievement of the Green Deal objectives. In addition, and within this framework, it aims at examining how this can be achieved as a cost-effective transition, maximising benefits for citizens in terms of affordable energy prices, jobs, technological leadership for the EU as well as energy security.

The point of departure for the study has been to endeavour establish the most objective and reliable figures possible for future energy costs, based on a wide range of sources such as the IEA, IRENA and Bloomberg New Energy Finance, as well as academic literature.

By benchmarking and peer-reviewing a wide range of studies, FSR researchers have drawn up ‘con-sensus’ figures for the expected future costs of renewable electricity (onshore wind, offshore wind, PV…) as well as green, blue and turquoise hydrogen. On this basis the researchers calculate expected ETS prices needed to catalyse the replacement of grey hydrogen currently used by industry as a feed-stock, as well as the substitution of natural gas by low and zero-carbon hydrogen by energy intensive industry. Finally, they calculate the expected subsidies needed to kick-start the EU’s future low and zero-carbon hydrogen market at scale.

On the basis of these findings, the authors, Jean-Michel Glachant, Andris Piebalgs and Christopher Jones, draw a number of conclusions and recommendations with respect to the EU’s energy priorities, and in particular they put forward eight key recommendations regarding the manner in which the Commission’s Hydrogen Strategy should be implemented in practice.

Agenda

The Vienna Forum on European Energy Law

The Vienna Forum on European Energy Law is an annual joint initiative of the FSR Energy Union Law Area and the Energy Community Secretariat which aims to bridge the gap in energy debate between the EU and Energy Community. This year, for the 8^th edition of the forum, we will be moving online with four webinars across four weeks, focused on the solidarity principle, the European climate law, carbon pricing, and the role of the private sector in the energy transition. To discuss these topics, we will bring together a panel of experts for a roundtable debate and a live Q&A session with our audience.

Webinar 3

Carbon Pricing: The Silver Bullet for the Energy Transition?

In this webinar, we will take a close look at the role of carbon pricing in the EU transition to carbon neutrality. Could it be the silver bullet?

We will look at the new proposals in the EU, including the prospect of a carbon border adjustment mechanism, which if brought into effect, would radically alter the internal market. But is it feasible? And could such a mechanism be WTO compliant? We will also beyond Europe to critically assess the best paths forward.

Introduction

Leigh Hancher | FSR (RSCAS, EUI); Tilburg University; Baker Botts LLP

Roundtable Christoph Gatzen | Frontier Economics

Jos Delbeke │ School of Transnational Governance (EUI) (tbc)

Michael Mehling │ MIT

Jason MacLean │ UNB Law School

Jennifer Winter | University of Calgary

Q & A with the live audience

Moderation

Dirk Buschle │ Energy Community Secretariat; College of Europe

Upcoming webinar from the Vienna Forum:

Webinar 4: The Private Sector to the Rescue of the Energy Transition

Monday, 7 December 2020, 14.30 – 16.00 CET

The Vienna Forum on European Energy Law

The Vienna Forum on European Energy Law is an annual joint initiative of the FSR Energy Union Law Area and the Energy Community Secretariat which aims to bridge the gap in energy debate between the EU and Energy Community. This year, for the 8^th edition of the forum, we will be moving online with four webinars across four weeks, focused on the solidarity principle, the European climate law, carbon pricing, and the role of the private sector in the energy transition. To discuss these topics, we will bring together a panel of experts for a roundtable debate and a live Q&A session with our audience.

Webinar 3

Carbon Pricing: The Silver Bullet for the Energy Transition?

Introduction

Leigh Hancher | FSR (RSCAS, EUI); Tilburg University; Baker Botts LLP

Roundtable

Christoph Gatzen | Frontier Economics

Jos Delbeke │ School of Transnational Governance (EUI) (tbc)

Michael Mehling │ MIT Jason MacLean │ UNB Law School

Jennifer Winter | University of Calgary

Q & A with the live audience

Moderation

Dirk Buschle │ Energy Community Secretariat; College of Europe

Upcoming webinars from the Vienna Forum:

Webinar 4: The Private Sector to the Rescue of the Energy Transition

Monday, 7 December 2020, 14.30 – 16.00 CET