Our Story

The FSR was established in 2004 at the European University Institute's Schuman Centre as a cooperation between the EUI, the Council of European Energy Regulators and the European Commission with the objective of promoting good regulation in Europe via training, research, and policy dialogue.

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Two decades advancing policy and regulation

At the heart of the green transition, we are sharing ideas to support regulators, policymakers, and industries in addressing climate change and shaping a sustainable future for all.

Leonardo Meeus

Director of FSR
The mission of the Florence School of Regulation is to develop and spread ideas that can improve policy and regulation. We are a unique combination of a university research group, a think tank, and an executive education institute. We started in Europe and are increasingly active at the world level.

The Founders

Jean-Michel Glachant

Jorge Vasconcelos

Ignacio Perez-Arriaga

Pippo Ranci

The Milestones

Born in Florence with a European spirit, the FSR has been evolving to address global challenges in the energy, climate, transport, water and waste fields, sharing knowledge and best practices worldwide.

Launch of the Florence School of Regulation

2004

The Florence School of Regulation was officially launched, together with an inaugural training course: the Annual Training on the Regulation of Energy Utilities, directed by Ignacio Pérez Arriaga.
Jean-Michel Glachant appointed FSR Director

2008

Jean-Michel Glachant became Director at the Florence School of Regulation and holder of the Loyola de Palacio Chair.
New FSR areas are launched

2010

The FSR welcomed the establishment of two new areas: Transport & Communications and Media, led by Matthias Finger and Pier Luigi Parcu, respectively. The Energy area experienced significant growth with the creation of the Energy Union Law & Policy, under the guidance of Leigh Hancher.
The FSR launches – Climate area

2012

The FSR created the Climate area, led by Denny Ellerman, reinforcing the school's commitment to research and strengthening the energy area.
The FSR hosts the 1st Conference on:

2012

First edition of the FSR Annual Conference, the first event to unite the areas of the school: energy, transport, and communications & media. This conference served as a platform to explore the regulatory challenges faced across the three sectors.
The FSR launches its first online course:

2014

The first online course on the Regulation of the Power Sector was launched. This course successfully trained over 1500 energy scholars and is currently directed by Carlos Batlle from MIT.
The FSR launches: Water

2014

FSR Water area was established, with Stephane Saussier leading the initiative. Over time, it evolved into the Water and Waste area under the leadership of Maria Salvetti
The FSR Online Team is born

2015

The school made the strategic decision to digitalise its activities, transitioning to online. Today, the team blends expertise in multimedia, communications, web development, digital technologies, and executive education.
FSR launches – Gas

2016

The Gas area was established under the leadership of Ilaria Conti. Today, it has expanded its scope to Gas and Hydrogen, reflecting the school's commitment to exploring emerging energy technologies.
The FSR launched the Lights on Women initiative:

2017

The FSR launched the Lights on Women initiative to advance economically and socially inclusive energy policy and regulation. Over the years, the project has managed to offer scholarships for specialised training and create opportunities for women to meet and exchange.
The FSR goes global

2017

The FSR launches the Global area to facilitate the development and delivery of energy policy and regulation in Asia, Africa and Latin America. This initiative contributed to the foundation of an independent school of regulation in India.
The FSR launched the  New FSR website

2018

The FSR’s online team, composed of communications, web, training and multimedia specialists, designed a new website to mainstream our research outcomes and improve the user experience and engagement.
The FSR organized the FSR Global Forum

2019

The FSR Global Forum was a 4-day event dedicated to practical solutions for the global energy transition. It brought together 100 representatives from government agencies, regulatory bodies, energy companies, utilities, development organizations, and academia worldwide to discuss key issues in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. This event also marked the creation of FSR Global, a sister school based in Delhi, India.
The FSR takes COVID-19 measures and strengthens online activities

2020

In response to the COVID crisis, FSR Energy launched the #DigitalSolidarity scholarships, offering 50 free seats to its courses to professionals and students in the energy sector most impacted by COVID-19 mitigation measures. Additionally, 4 online event series were launched, and three residential courses transitioned to online formats.
The FSR launched the FSR Annual Scholarships

2021

The FSR Annual Scholarships were launched, offering free seats to all the FSR training courses. The FSR commitment to diversity, equity helps generate innovative ideas and solutions to complex problems in the fast-pacing, ever-changing energy sector.
The FSR launched the energybase:

2022

The Lights on Women initiative launched the Energybase, a talent matchmaking database that bridges the gap between skilled women and organisations seeking diverse talent.
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Leonardo Meeus becomes FSR Director

2022

Leonardo Meeus becomes Director of the School and holder of the Loyola de Palacio Chair (LdP) on European Energy Regulation and Policy at the Robert Schuman Centre. “The mission of both the FSR and the LdP Chair is to develop and spread ideas that can improve policy and regulation. We try to combine the best of three worlds: a university research group, a think tank and an executive education institute.”
The African School of Regulation is born

2022

The FSR, together with the University of Cape Town, the Pan African University Institute of Water and Energy Sciences, the Enel Foundation, and the Energy Nexus Network signed a scientific partnership agreement to create the African School of Regulation (ASR) and support the energy transition in Africa. Inspired by the mission of the FSR, the ASR aims to be a pan-African centre of excellence on energy regulation.
Alumni Day

2023

The first FSR Alumni Day was held at the European University Institute in Florence on the 27 October. The event gathered 50 alumni, 13 Course Directors and the 3-founding fathers of FSR, fostering connections and celebrating the achievements of the FSR community.

Book Club

Smart Regulation for Smart Grid Regulation of the power sector Market building through antitrust : long-term contract regulation in EU electricity markets Energy poor Electricity network regulation in the EU : the challenges ahead: for transmission and distribution Decarbonising the gas sector : is renewable gas a serious option? The EU clean energy package (ed. 2020) The EU Electricity Network Code Sustainable consumption : the right to a healthy environment Handbook on Railway Regulation The evolution of electricity markets in Europe Capacity mechanisms in the EU energy markets : law, policy, and economics Towards a Smart and Sustainable Single European Transport Area The EU Green Deal Smart grid replication : handbook for India High gas prices in Europe : a matter for policy intervention? Economic regulators role in supporting the ecological transition of water and sanitation service operators Florence school of regulation : cost-effective decarbonisation study 2022 A Green Deal for water and sanitation utilities to rejuvenate the service delivery and financing model

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