Women are increasingly acting as the catalysers of change in many aspects of the energy transition. Specifically, they take on essential roles as policy-makers, professionals, and energy consumers. Yet they are still far from having equal access to job opportunities and leadership roles, equal representation in positions of authority, and even decision-making powers regarding household energy consumption.  

The ongoing global energy transition opens up new, more sustainable career pathways able to reshape all energy production and distribution aspects. For women, in particular, this policy shift offers an unprecedented chance to claim their role in the energy sector, while harnessing the advancement opportunities offered by clean energy technologies.  

In this hybrid event, we will look at the challenges women face in the energy and climate sectors as consumers, professionals and policymakers and solutions to their grievances that can be delivered in the energy transition framework.  

This event will happen in the context of FSR’s annual Policy Advisory Council event – and will comprise a panel about gender equality in the energy sector and the official opening of registrations for the newly-released Lights on Women database, the Energybase. In-person attendance is on-invitation only.

Watch the recording:

Programme

Introductory remarks:

• European Commission DG Energy (video)
• Erik Jones, Director (RSC/EUI)

Panel: 

Moderator: Ilaria Conti, Head of Gas (FSR)

Setting the scene: Ashley Acker, Gender in Energy Data Analyst (IEA) will present the report: A critical issue in energy sector employment and energy access

• Blandine Mollard, Researcher (EIGE)
• Colette D. Honorable, Former Commissioner at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Partner (Reed Smith)

Presentation of the Energybase: 

• Good practices from the industry with partners of the Lights on Women intiative (Landwärme GmbH, Edison)
• The official launch of the Lights on Women’s platform and the Energybase: Claudia Carella, Lights on Women coordinator (FSR), and Jessica Dabrowski, Lights on Women co-founder, Deptuty Director of Communications (Atlantic Council, Arsht-Rock Resilience Center)

Conclusions and final remarks:

Leonardo Meeus, Director (FSR)

FSR Climate is pleased to announce its 8^th Annual Conference on the Economic Assessment of European Climate Policies to take place online on Thursday 1 and Friday 2 December 2022.

The conference will cover the main climate-related existing policies at the EU, national, international and sub-national levels. It will include three sessions on Environmental taxation, Emissions trading, and Energy Transition. In addition, the conference will comprise a keynote speech from Mar REGUANT (Northwestern University), and a policy session focused on the key outcomes of COP27.

The FSR Climate Annual Conference will be held online through Zoom Webinar.

Chair: Simone BORGHESI (FSR Climate/EUI & University of Siena)

Thursday 1 December

10:00-12:15 | Session – Environmental taxation

• Till REQUATE (Kiel University) – Commitment Timing to Environmental Policy and the Adoption of Low-Pollution Technologies: An Experiment [abstract] [slides]
• Adrien FABRE (CIRED & ETH Zurich) – Fighting Climate Change: International Attitudes Toward Climate Policies [abstract] [slides]
• Santiago RUBIO (University of Valencia) – Climate Clubs, Border Carbon Adjustment, and Trade Wars [abstract] [slides]
• Lucy NAGA (Durham University) – Kantian Preferences and Dirty Goods within the Ramsey Model of Optimal Taxation [abstract]

14:15-15:45 | Policy Session on the outcomes of COP27

• Jos DELBEKE (STG/EUI & KU Leuven)
• Karen PITTEL (ifo Institute & University of Munich)
• Jacob WERKSMAN (DG Climate Action)
• Angela CHURIE KALLHAUGE (Environmental Defense Fund)

More info here.

16:00-17:00 | Keynote Speech

• Mar REGUANT (Northwestern University) – Successes in the renewable expansion: learning from Spain and Chile  [abstract] [slides]

Friday 2 December

10:00-12:15 | Session – Emissions trading

• Misato SATO (London School of Economics) – Carbon Leakage, Consumption, and Trade [abstract] [slides]
• Marie RAUDE (EconomiX) – Firms in the EU ETS: a categorisation based on transaction behaviour [abstract] [slides]
• Johanna CLUDIUS (Öko-Institut) – An ETS-2 for buildings and road transport: Impacts, vulnerabilities and the role of the Social Climate Fund [abstract] [slides]
• Michael PAHLE (PIK – Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research) – Fit for climate neutrality? The EU carbon market in 2030 and beyond [abstract] [slides]

 14:00-16:15 | Session – Energy transition

• Pedro LINARES (Comillas Pontifical University) – How much storage do we need for the energy transition?  [abstract] [slides]
• Thomas DULAK (Université Libre de Bruxelles) – The dog that didn’t bark: the reaction of financial markets to the court ruling in Milieudefensie v. Royal Dutch Shell plc. [abstract]
• Elena VERDOLINI (EIEE & University of Brescia) – Policy choice, timing and stringency and the direction of innovation [abstract] [slides]
• David RAPSON (UC Davis & Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas) – The Electric Ceiling: Limits & Costs of Full Electrification [abstract] [slides]

 16:15-16:30 | Conclusions

The event is organised by EUI with the support of EAERE.

Past editions of the FSR Climate Annual Conference:

FSR Climate Annual Conference 2021

FSR Climate Annual Conference 2020

FSR Climate Annual Conference 2019

FSR Climate Annual Conference 2018

FSR Climate Annual Conference 2017

FSR Climate Annual Conference 2016

FSR Climate Annual Conference 2015

The 11th FSR Annual Conference is an occasion to take stock of the progress made on the objectives outlined in the EU Data Strategy the Data Governance Act in the network industries. This new regulation will have impact on the various network industries, and at our conference, we will particularly focus on the areas of energy, climate, transport and telecommunications.

In February 2020 the European Commission (EC) has presented the European Data Strategy, which main objectives are to set up European Data Spaces, to create a single market for data and to develop an attractive, secure and dynamic data economy. Common European data spaces in the sectors of health, environment, energy, agriculture, mobility, finance, manufacturing, public administration, and skills, will ensure that more data becomes available for use in the economy and society, while keeping the companies and individuals who generate the data in control. The Data Governance Act published by the EC in November 2020, constitutes the first of the legislative proposals presented in the EU Data Strategy and applies to both personal and non-personal data. Its main objectives are to strengthen the availability of data for use by increasing trust in data intermediaries and to stimulate data sharing mechanisms across the EU.

What are strategic, technical and operational aspects of creating an interconnected, interoperable and trusted environment for data sharing in the network industries? How to encourage data sharing? Should data sharing be mandated? How will public sector bodies guarantee privacy and confidentiality? What existing or additional enablers are needed to ensure access to different data sources? What are the barriers to cross-sectoral data sharing? If the current investment in technologies and infrastructure is enough? What should be the governance of these data spaces? What is the role of digital platforms? What are the next steps? These are some of the questions that the conference will seek to discuss.

The conference is intended for academics such as PhD students, PostDocs and Assistant/associate/full Professors, as well as academically minded practitioners.

Realigning EU climate & energy policy for the new state of the world

• WATCH THE LIVE STREAM OF THE EVENT HERE

🔴 We are LIVE for the FSR & European Climate Foundation event “Between crises and decarbonisation” from 📌Brussels
Join the discussion by asking us questions at the hashtag #FSRinBxl@JMGlachant @nicolorossettoP @LaurenceTubiana https://t.co/TeL5xMPaH6

— FSR Energy & Climate (@FSR_Energy) June 17, 2022

The energy crisis that first struck Europe in the Summer of 2021 has worsened significantly over the past months to become one to remember. While it appears similar in magnitude to the oil shocks of the 1970s, the recent crisis has some clear distinguishing features.

European Climate Foundation (ECF) and Florence School of Regulation (FSR) teamed up to investigate the issue, with a core group of policy experts from October 2021 to May 2022. Together we have examined three major questions: 1) What are the key characteristics of these times of crisis in relation to EU energy and its energy transition? 2) What are the new policy priorities, in the short term (2022-2023) and in the long run (2024-2030, and beyond)? 3) Is the current EU energy policy governance still fit for the new challenges that we face?

We would like to discuss all this in-depth with various representatives of the EU landscape (Commission, Parliament, Professional Stakeholders, Think-Tanks and Academia) in an event that will be held in presence in Brussels and live-streamed online, on Friday 17 June (9.30-12.45 CEST).

In the meantime, we are finalizing the writing of our ‘Policy Highlights’: “Between crises and decarbonisation: aligning EU energy and climate policy for a new state of the world”, to be released on Monday 13 June.

PLEASE NOTE: The event is open to the public – attendees are encouraged to join the debate and engage with the invited speakers. The attendance is free of charge but subject to registration and dependent on seats’ availability. People unable to attend the event physically will be able to watch the live stream online. Registration is required both for online and in-person attendance.

Agenda:

9.00 – 9.30 Welcome coffee

9.30 – 9.40 General introduction

Laurence Tubiana | European Climate Foundation

Jean-Michel Glachant | Florence School of Regulation

9.40 – 10.25 Session 1: The new state of the world: what key characteristics?

Moderator: Nicolò Rossetto | Florence School of Regulation

Introductory remarks: Jean-Michel Glachant | Florence School of Regulation

Discussant: Georg Zachmann | Bruegel

Q&A

10.25 – 11.10 Session 2: The new state of the world: what policy priorities for the EU?

Moderator: Andreas Rüdinger | Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations

Introductory remarks: Ronnie Belmans | KU Leuven

Discussants:

Kristian Ruby | Eurelectric

Manuel García | Ministry for the Ecological Transition

Q&A

11.10 – 11.30 Coffee break

11.30 – 12.30 Session 3: The new state of the world: what process and governance to make it work?

Moderator: Laurence Tubiana | European Climate Foundation

Introductory remarks: Leigh Hancher | Florence School of Regulation

Discussant:

Stefano Grassi | European Commission

Q&A

12.30 – 12.45 General Conclusion

Laurence Tubiana | European Climate Foundation

Jean-Michel Glachant | Florence School of Regulation

12.45 – 14.00 Light buffet lunch

Read the paper: Between crises and decarbonisation: realigning EU climate and energy policy for the new “State of the World” 

Related publications and events from the FSR:

• A first look at REPowerEU: The European Commission’s plan for energy independence from Russia 
• Energy prices and the dimensions of the current market design |Highlights from the debate: Electricity prices and market design
• Consumer protection mechanisms during the current and future periods of high and volatile energy prices | Policy Brief
• Energy security meets the circular economy : a stronger case for sustainable biomethane production in the EU | Policy Brief
• A simple implementation of pan-European storage obligations | Policy Brief
• Recent energy price dynamics and market enhancements for the future energy transition | Policy Brief
• High gas prices in Europe : a matter for policy intervention? | Policy Brief

Inspired by the recently published book “A Modern Guide to the Digitalization of Infrastructure”, this webinar will provide a comprehensive overview of how the digitalisation process affects infrastructure-based industries, including telecommunications, transport, energy, water and postal services.

The contributors of this book are the experts of DIGEX, a working group (think tank), Digitalising Infrastructure Group of Experts, established at the Florence School of Regulation.

At the webinar, DIGEX experts will share their views on how digitalisation is disrupting traditional infrastructure managers in terms of capacity management and traffic flows. They will also discuss key topics including data governance, data sharing, digital platforms, and sector convergence in relation to a specific type of infrastructure they are working on.

AGENDA

17:00 – 17:10 | Welcome, Introduction of the book

Prof. Juan Montero, Professor at EUI/ UNED; Editor of the book ‘A Modern Guide to the Digitalization of Infrastructure’

17:10-18:00 | Contribution from the authors

• Technology: Prof. Günter Knieps, Professor of Economics at the University of Freiburg

• Telecoms: Dr. Volker Stocker, Head of Research Group/Postdoctoral Researcher, The German Internet Institute / Technische Universität Berlin

• Maritime: Dr. Anastasia Tsvetkova, Docent, a postdoc researcher at the Laboratory of Industrial Management, Åbo Akademi University

• Aviation: Lorenzo Casullo, Associate Director, Ricardo

• Electricity: Nicolò Rossetto, Research Associate, Florence School of Regulation

• Water: Brenda Espinosa Apráez, PhD Researcher, Tilburg Law and Economic Center – Department of Law, Technology, Markets & Society, Tilburg University

18:00 – 18:20 | Q&A Session moderated by Prof. Juan Montero, Professor at EUI/ UNED; Editor of the book ‘A Modern Guide to the Digitalization of Infrastructure’

18:20 – 18:30 | Concluding remarks

Prof. Matthias Finger, Director of FSR-Transport, EUI; Editor of the book ‘A Modern Guide to the Digitalization of Infrastructure’

18:30 | Webinar ends

FSR Climate is pleased to announce its 7^th Annual Conference on the Economic Assessment of European Climate Policies to take place online on Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 November 2021 from 10:00 to 16:10 CET.

The conference will cover the main climate-related existing policies at EU, national, international and sub-national levels. It will include three sessions on Energy Efficiency and Renewables, Environmental taxation, and Emissions trading. In addition, the conference will comprise a keynote speech from Estelle Cantillon, and a policy session focused on carbon market integration.

Due to the travel and public gathering restrictions taken to limit the spread of COVID-19, the FSR Climate Annual Conference will be held online through Zoom Webinar.

Chair: Simone BORGHESI, FSR Climate – European University Institute

Monday 29 November

10:00-10:05 – Welcome & introduction

• Simone BORGHESI, FSR Climate – European University Institute

10:05-12:05 – Session on Emissions trading

• The Carbon Market Challenge: Preventing Abuse Through Effective Governance, Regina BETZ, Zurich University of Applied Sciences – ZHAW [abstract] [slides]
• ‪Coase and Cap-and-Trade: Evidence on the Independence Property from the European Carbon Market, Aleksandar ZAKLAN, DIW Berlin [paper] [slides]
• The European Emission Trading System, Overlapping Climate Policies & the Fit for 55 Package, Kenneth BRUNINX, University of Leuven [abstract] [slides]
• Investment Incentives in Tradable Emissions Markets with Price Floors, Frans DE VRIES, University of Aberdeen  Business School [abstract] [slides]

14:00-16:00 – Session on Environmental taxation

• Environmental Taxation in the 2020s: Promises and Barriers, Xavier LABANDEIRA, University of Vigo [abstract] [slides]
• Voting and Information: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial, Stefano CARATTINI, Georgia State University [abstract]
• Impacts of Carbon Pricing on Electricity Prices – The Case of the EU ETS, Mirjam KOSCH, PIK Potsdam [abstract] [slides]
• The Best Argument for Carbon pricing is not Economic Efficiency, but Rather that it Fosters Cooperation, Axel OCKENFELS, University of Cologne [abstract]

Tuesday 30 November

10:00-11:00 – Keynote Speech

• Emission Markets as Financial Markets, Estelle CANTILLON, Université Libre de Bruxelles and Toulouse School of Economics [abstract] [slides]

11:10-12:40 – Policy Session “Deepening international cooperation on emissions trading: possible reforms for integration”

Chaired by Jos DELBEKE, School of Transnational Governance – European University Institute

• Stefano VERDE, FSR Climate – European University Institute [slides]
• Michael PAHLE, PIK Potsdam [slides]
• Susanne DRÖGE, SWP Berlin
• Artur RUNGE-METZGER, Former Director at the European Commission

This policy session is organised under the framework of the project LIFE DICET – Deepening International Cooperation on Emissions Trading – cofinanced by the EU LIFE Programme of the European Commission.

14:00-16:00 – Session on Energy efficiency and renewables

• Capitalization of the French Energy Performance Certificate: Is There a Label Premium?, Anna CRETI, Université Paris Dauphine – PSL [abstract] [slides]
• Materials Scarcity and Recycling for the Energy Transition, Francesco RICCI, Université de Montpellier and CEE-M [abstract] [slides]
• Integrating Energy Needs for Adaptation in Mitigation Pathways, Enrica DE CIAN, Ca’ Foscari Unversity of Venice and CMCC [abstract] [slides]
• Data Centres and Energy Demand: Lessons for Loads in Net Zero, Michael POLLITT, University of Cambridge [abstract] [slides]

16:00-16:10 – Concluding remarks

• Simone BORGHESI, FSR Climate – European University Institute

The FSR Climate Annual Conference 2021 is organised with the support of EAERE.

Bio of the Keynote Speaker:

Estelle Cantillon is a Professor of economics at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, an associate member at the Toulouse School of Economics, a research fellow at CEPR (London) and an elected member of the Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences of Belgium. Her research lies at the boundary between market design and industrial organization. Her current research focuses on carbon emissions markets, the design of electricity wholesale markets and climate transition policies. She has published on auctions, procurement, competition between exchanges, and assignment problems.

She currently sits on the Board of Regents of the National Bank of Belgium, on the Economics Council of OXERA and is a member of the steering committee of Re-Bel (Rethinking Belgium) and the scientific council of the Brussels Region Institute for Statistics. At ULB, she is the academic director of the Sustainable Development teaching initiative.

Estelle holds a PhD in Economics from Harvard and has held faculty appointments at Yale University, Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Past editions of the FSR Climate Annual Conference:

FSR Climate Annual Conference 2020

FSR Climate Annual Conference 2019

FSR Climate Annual Conference 2018

FSR Climate Annual Conference 2017

FSR Climate Annual Conference 2016

FSR Climate Annual Conference 2015

The INNOPATHS final conference “Innovation pathways, strategies and policies for the low-carbon transition in Europe” is scheduled on Monday 31^st May (10:00-16:15 CEST) and Tuesday 1^st June (10:15-16:15 CEST).

The transition to climate neutrality in Europe will require deep structural changes to the full range of energy, economic and societal systems. These changes, and their economic, social and environmental implications, must be examined and understood if policymakers are to take the best decisions possible to achieve this overarching objective.

For the last four years, the INNOPATHS project’s partners have been working with stakeholders from government, academia and civil society to understand issues ranging from the dynamics of low-carbon innovation, policy frameworks and finance, to the implications for labour markets and equity from the transition. Using this knowledge, new, state-of-the-art low-carbon pathways for the European Union have been created and modelled. This final conference will share key insights from the project with a wider audience, and discuss their meaning and implications for Europe and EU member states in the coming years.

The conference will be chaired by Paul Ekins – OBE (UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources & Project Coordinator) and by Simone Borghesi (Director of FSR Climate). The event will hold presentations and discussions on following topics:

• Technology development and innovation dynamics; their policy and other drivers, and co-benefits
• Decarbonisation and equity, with a focus on European labour markets and the broader social implications of the transition
• Financing the transition; including the role of public funds, low interest rates and the European Green Deal
• Key requirements and implications of our new pathways for a low-carbon Europe; and the differences implied depending on which pathway emerges from policy action and wider developments
• Policy priorities and knowledge gaps; including a panel session with a series of European policy experts and practitioners, to conclude the conference.

This event is part of the official All4Climate – Italy 2021 programme. 

The project INNOPATHS has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No. 730403.

Watch the recording:

Modern societies face many global challenges. Climate change is certainly among the most urgent and important ones. Europe has decided to address the widely diffused concern of public opinion on the effects of climate change by committing to reaching climate neutrality by 2050, an ambitious target that remains a top priority for the Von der Leyen Commission despite the difficulties raised by the COVID-19 crisis. Similar climate neutrality targets have been recently set by other jurisdictions, most notably the USA and China (the latter by 2060). The European Union can (and actually intends to) play a key leading role as regulator, negotiator and actor in the global climate challenge. While a unilateral European action will not be sufficient per se to stop global warming (as European emissions are only a relatively small part of total greenhouse gas emissions), the EU can lead the world by example in adopting more stringent climate regulations and hence influencing the others’ climate policies.

However, alternative climate policies and regulatory models might emerge at the world level possibly challenging the European leadership in the fight against climate change. Consider, for instance, the case of the European Emission Trading System (EU ETS). As it is frequently argued, the EU ETS represented a prototype for most other ETSs that have been rapidly emerging in the world. But ETSs might progressively diverge over time rather than converge towards a unique model to account for the different institutional frameworks characterising different jurisdictions. The same applies to other European climate measures and policies that might or might not fit other institutional contexts.

This raises some of the questions that we would like to address in the session, namely:

1. What are the lessons that other jurisdictions can take from the European climate policy experience? Can/should the European experience with climate regulation be replicated in non-European contexts? If so, how? If not, why?
2. How can other economies improve upon the European experience and how can Europe learn from others?
3. Will the climate neutrality implementation strategies converge or diverge across different countries?
4. Which policies will lead EU, US and China -the three main players in the global climate arena- towards the net-zero emissions target?
5. What will be the impact of the Biden administration on international cooperation and climate policy in the years to come?
6. Can international cooperation among Emission Trading Systems contribute to promoting a global climate policy?

FSR Climate, together with the Policy Outreach Committee of EAERE (European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists), and in collaboration with the School of Transnational Governance of the EUI, organises this session to promote a more integrated dialogue between academia and policy world, providing advice and support to EU policy makers and institutions in designing policy interventions.

The event builds upon the successful experience of policy debates organized by FSR Climate at State of the Union since 2018 and intends to continue the policy dialogue carried out by FSR Climate under the ongoing LIFE DICET (Deepening International Cooperation on Emissions Trading) project. The project LIFE DICET focuses on the international carbon market cooperation between the EC and the regulators of other major ETSs, namely, California-Quebec, China, Switzerland and New Zealand and intends to support EU and Member State policymakers in deepening international cooperation for the development and possible integration of carbon markets at the world level.

The event chaired by Simone Borghesi and Jos Delbeke is intended to address an audience of high-level policy makers, stakeholders and scholars such as those attending the SoU.

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

Shift to rail is one of the main challenges to reach the ambitious Green Deal objectives in transport and one of the key issues in the European Year of Rail. However, data shows that such a modal shift is not happening, as rail modal share is not growing in passenger services and is too low and basically stagnated in freight services (Rail Market Monitoring 2021).

The scope of the conference is to evaluate the existing policies and analyse new proposals to accelerate the modal shift. Debate between academics, industry and public officials is the proposed methodology to provide deep insights and fresh approaches.

We are looking for original papers covering the various aspects of railway regulation and focusing on transversal issues such as: competition, track access charges, capacity allocation, traffic management, night trains, long-distance and cross-border passenger rail services, high-speed services, intermodality, digital mobility/railway platforms and others.

Contributions utilising multidisciplinary, as well as interdisciplinary approaches to regulation, are very welcome. Papers, linking academia and practice, as well as policy research papers, are particularly encouraged.

The conference is intended for academics, as well as academically minded practitioners.

This is a 2-day conference, aiming to engage a selected group of a total of 30 individuals including leading academics, high-level stakeholder representatives (CEOs or deputies) and public officials into a fruitful policy debate.

On the first day there will be presentations of 9 academic papers, followed by a discussion with the audience. The foreseen outcome of the conference is 9 academic papers of excellent quality with policy recommendations, which DG Move and national authorities can use in future planning.

The second day will be devoted to the high-level policy debates based on the papers presented the day before, with the participation of representatives of DG Move, stakeholders and academics.

List of selected authors and titles of their papers:

• Beria, P., Tolentino, S., Shtelle, E., Lunkar, V. “Is there an effect on prices of market entry in open-access rail Italian market?”
• Carames, J.G. “Next steps in the liberalization of the EU passenger rail market: new challenges for future public service contracts”
• Fahnenmüller, L. “How Technical Regulations Shape the Competitive Landscape – a Discussion on ECM, TSI and other Technical Regulations”
• Jain, A., van der Heijden, R., Marchau, V., Bruckmann, D. “The role of digital platforms in the modal shift of road to rail freight transport”
• Kristoffersson, I., Pyddoke,R., Börjesson,M., Karlsson, R., Liu, C. “Modal shift – A dream?”
• Mastrodonato, E. “Integrated coordination to make the railway system more efficient and facilitate the modal shift”
• Michaux, L. “Public Service Obligations in the Railway Sector: The EU’s Regulatory Self-Restraint as Part of the Problem?”
• Nash, C., A., Smith, A., S., Fitzova, H. “Achieving mode shift – what needs to be done?”
• Pagand, I., Bizzotto, S., Holvad, T., Potenza, G. “Rail renaissance strategy”
• Tomeš, Z. “Regulatory approaches to rail competitive entries”

Conference timeline

• Submission of the abstract by 1 June 2021; 15 June 2021. We extended the deadline!
• Notification of acceptance by 1 July 2021;
• Submission of the full paper by 15 November 2021; participants who fail to submit a full paper by this deadline will be automatically removed from the programme;
• Conference on 9^th-10^th December 2021 in Florence (Italy).

Submission of the abstract

• Step 1: Download the obligatory submission template
• Step 2: Fill in all required fields: Introduction and Purpose of the Study; Research Design and Expected Results; Keywords. Please pay attention to the word limit!
• Step 3: Fill in the registration form online and enclose the submission template (see Step 2).

For any issues regarding the submission, please contact Ms Irina Lapenkova at FSR.Transport@eui.eu;

Publication opportunities

• Papers will qualify for fast track review for the Journal Competition and Regulation in Network Industries (SAGE)

Organising Committee

• Prof Juan Montero (EUI, Part-time professor of the Transport Area of the FSR, Professor of Administrative Law and Regulation in UNED University (Madrid).
• Prof Matthias Finger (EUI, Part-time professor and Director of the Transport Area of the FSR. EPFL, Professor Emeritus).
• Prof Chris Nash (Research Professor, Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds. Scientific Advisor, FSR Transport).

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

The Conference on the Regulation of Infrastructures is the annual event that brings together all the Areas of the Florence School of Regulation.

This year’s FSR Annual Conference, which will take place on 10th and 11th June 2021, will focus on ‘Infrastructure Investment Challenges: reconciling Competition, Decarbonisation and Digitalisation’.

Investment has always been a challenge in the network industries. Since the 1990s liberalisation has exacerbated this challenge, owing to the different time horizons between the interests of the private sector, the long-term nature of the infrastructure assets and their public service nature. Climate change and the need to decarbonise the infrastructures, as well as the recent focus on digitalisation have only added to the investment challenges in the different network industries.

How can we ensure investments in the context of competition, decarbonisation and digitalisation? What should be the role of governments and that of the private sector? How should the right incentives be set? These are some of the questions that the 10th FSR Annual Conference will seek to discuss.

More precisely, we are looking for contributions, which cut across the different infrastructure sectors, especially in terms of investment opportunities. Contributions utilising multidisciplinary as well as interdisciplinary approaches to regulation are welcome. Papers linking academia and practice, as well as policy research papers are particularly encouraged.

The conference is intended for academics such as PhD students, PostDocs and Assistant/associate/full Professors, as well as academically minded practitioners.

List of selected authors and titles of their papers:

• Alloisio, I.*, Rubino, A. “The role of PPPs in the energy transition infrastructure financing in Sub-Saharan Africa”
• Astier, N., Ovaere, M.* “Reliability standards and generation adequacy assessments for interconnected electricity systems”
• Bigler, P., Radulescu, D.* “Welfare, Redistributive and Revenue Effects of Policies Promoting Fuel Efficient and Electric Vehicles”
• Bartlett Castellà, E.R.*, Gimeno de la Fuente, C., Majó Casas, C. “Digitalisation at the core of energy networks: the backbone of the energy transition. A brief assessment on the infrastructure investment regulatory framework”
• Couto Ribeiro, B.*, Pereira Ferrero, L.G., Blind, K., Bin, A. “The Effects of RDI Regulation on Energy Sector”
• Crocioni, P.*, Silos Ribas, M. “Could ex ante regulation create incentives for anti-competitive behaviour?” 
• De Maio, M. L.*, Paniccia, I., Vitiello, I. “European strategy on sustainable and smart mobility: what will be the role of economic regulation?”
• Gundes, S.*, Atakul, N.”Public-Private Partnerships in Toll Road Projects: The Case of Eurasia Tunnel”
•  Hernandez, D.*, Gençer, E.  “Modelling Optimal Hydrogen Transmission Network Infrastructure”
• Knieps, G. “Internet of Things and the challenges for infrastructure investment in 5G based-smart network industries” 
• Machado J.T.M.*, Flynn, B. M., Williamson, I. “The national shaping of Europe’s Emerging Hydrogen Strategies: Cooperative or Competitive Hydrogen politics?”
• Parcu, P.L., Rossi, M.A. “Technological neutrality and network neutrality in telecommunications regulation. Policies at the 5G crossroads?”
• Simon, E.*, Cimmino F., M., Genoud, S. “Sector coupling of power and gas with combined heat and power plants: an investment to foster the swiss energy system decarbonisation”

*presenting author

Conference structure:

The format of the FSR Annual Conference is unique, in that it favours quality over quantity:

• Each presenter has 30’, which includes 12’ of presentation, 10’ of qualified feedback and 8’ of discussion with the audience;
• Feedback will be given by senior professors and researchers associated with the Florence School of Regulation who are specifically knowledgeable about the topic at hand;
• Papers retained for publication will receive additional feedback beyond the Conference.

Timeline:

• Submission of the abstract by 1st February, 15th February 2021. We extended the deadline!
• Notification of acceptance by 1st March 2021;
• Submission of the full paper by 16th May 2021; participants who fail to submit a full paper by this deadline will be automatically removed from the programme;
• Conference on 10th -11th June 2021 in Florence (Italy).

Submission of the abstract:

• Step 1: Download the obligatory submission template
•  Step 2: Fill in all required fields: Introduction and Purpose of the Study; Research Design and Expected Results; Keywords. Please pay attention to the word limit!
• Step 3: Fill in the registration form online and enclose the submission template (see Step 2).

For any issues regarding the submission, please contact Ms Irina Lapenkova at FSR.Transport@eui.eu

Publication opportunities:

• Papers will qualify for the Journal Competition and Regulation in Network Industries (SAGE)
• A summary of the 4-5 best papers will have the chance to be published in the dedicated issue of the Network Industries Quarterly (Issue 23, Vol 3, September 2021), which distributes to approximately 4000 people worldwide.

Organising Committee: 

• Prof Simone Borghesi (EUI, Part-time professor and Director of the Climate Area of the FSR; Siena University, Professor)
• Prof Matthias Finger (EUI, Part-time professor and Director of the Transport Area of the FSR)
• Prof Jean-Michel Glachant (EUI, Robert Schuman Chair, Director of the FSR, Director of the Energy & Climate Area of the FSR, Holder of the Loyola de Palacio Chair)
• Prof Juan Montero (EUI, Part-time professor of the Transport Area of the FSR, Professor of Administrative Law and Regulation in UNED University, Madrid)
• Prof Pier Luigi Parcu (EUI, Part-time professor and Area Director of the FSR Communications & Media, CMPF)

The 25^th Annual Conference of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists will be held on Tuesday, June 23 – Friday, July 3, 2020, online! Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the city government of Berlin has decided that all physical events at universities have to be cancelled until the end of July. Therefore EAERE together with the PC and LOC decided to hold this year’s conference as a virtual event.

This year’s EAERE conference evolves around Friday, June 26, which incorporates all centrally organized sessions including opening and closing ceremonies, a plenary keynote on the European Green Deal and three invited sessions taking place in a semi-plenary format. In addition, almost 150 Policy, Thematic and Parallel Sessions are decentrally organized by volunteer presenters. The decentral sessions take place between June 23 and July 3 with a concentration between Wednesday, June 24 and Saturday, June 27. In total, about 570 papers will be presented, and an additional 70 papers will be uploaded to a conference database.

Plenary Policy session

Simone Borghesi will be chairing the Plenary Policy on Friday, June 26, at 10:45-12:15.

Simone Borghesi, Director of FSR Climate and Secretary General of the Policy Outreach Committee (POC) of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE), will chair with Jos Delbeke the Plenary Policy Session at the 25th EAERE annual conference. The session entitled “The European Green Deal: prospects and challenges for the future” will take place on June 26, 2020, 10:45-12:15, immediately after the Opening Ceremony. After the introductory remarks by Simone Borghesi and Jos Delbeke, the session will host the interventions of two guest speakers (Alexander Stubb and Peter Vis) followed by short roundtable interventions from POC members.

See here for the official programme of the conference. All sessions can be attended free of charge.