EURELECTRIC Award Honours Research on EU Energy Regulation and Climate Policy

This year's EURELECTRIC Award goes to Jean-Michel Glachant, Director of the Florence School of Regulation and holder of the Loyola de Palacio Chair at the European University Institute, Florence. The award recognises the role of the Florence School of Regulation in providing insights into policymaking and regulation of EU energy policy, as well as the European University Institute's research on the challenges posed by climate policy. It was presented by Paul Bulteel, former Secretary General and Electricity Ambassador for EURELECTRIC, at the industry's annual convention in Malta.

The award gives credit to the Florence School of Regulation for delivering advanced research on the regulation of energy, and in particular on electricity and gas markets, thereby promoting and facilitating informed discussion among EU and global stakeholders. The European University Institute, on the other hand, covers a range of European issues, including energy and climate related topics. Its Climate Policy Research Unit is currently evaluating EU climate policies, especially overlap between the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and the promotion of renewable energy in the power sector.

Mr Glachant's ideals - and those of the institutions he heads - mirror the voice of the electricity industry in that they are focused around building a common European energy policy and achieving the European energy internal market. EURELECTRIC has also formally stated its commitment to carbon-neutral electricity supply in Europe by 2050 - and is calling for the EU ETS to be the key driver of the decarbonisation process. In this regard, it welcomes the independent analysis of the European University Institute while urging the speedy development of an integrated European electricity market, with stable long-term regulation to ensure the necessary capital-intensive investments.

In addition to the EURELECTRIC Award, a special student prize was awarded for the best essay on the question "Can innovation in the electricity industry jumpstart a clean energy economy? What concrete actions are necessary to drive this change?" The prize went to Italian student Federico G. Lioy, currently studying for a master's degree in Management of Energy Resources.