Event
CEER Secretariat premises, Cours Saint-Michel 30a, 1040 Brussels & online
27.05.2025
10:00 - 16:00

CEER event on Independence in Action – Sharing Lessons Across Borders

About the Event

Independence is a core principle underpinning the credibility and effectiveness of National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs). On 27 May, CEER hosted a full-day hybrid workshop that brought together high-level speakers and institutional representatives from across Europe and beyond to explore the evolution of NRA independence and how it can be safeguarded in practice.

This interactive event examined regulatory frameworks, highlighted real-world experiences, and encouraged participants to reflect on both threats to independence and strategies for reinforcing it.

Event Highlights

The day opened with welcome remarks from the European Commission, followed by a provocative “thought experiment” exploring potential threats to an NRA’s independence. This set the stage for a deep dive into the historical and legal evolution of independence, with key contributions from CEER and the European Commission.

A high-level panel discussion featured representatives from BEREC, the OECD, MEDREG, and the ECRB Secretariat, who shared insights on challenges NRAs face and lessons from broader regulatory and institutional contexts.

In the afternoon, practical case studies were presented by NRA representatives from Sweden, Slovenia, and Belgium. Participants then engaged in an interactive session designed to foster peer exchange, live feedback, and open discussion via Slido.

The event concluded with closing reflections and a forward-looking perspective from CEER.

Access the recordings here

 

Programme

Programme

10:00 - 10:20

Welcome Address, Opening Remarks

Speakers

Lukasz Kolinski

Lukasz Kolinski

Director for Green Transition and Energy System Integration, European Commission
10:20 - 10:40

Thought experiment: How to undermine an NRA’s independence

Speakers

Alberto Pototschnig

Alberto Pototschnig

Part-time Professor and Deputy Director for the World of Practice, Florence School of Regulation (FSR)
10:40 - 11:35

The Evolution of Independence

  • The EU legal foundation of NRA independence throughout the decades
  • CEER’s contributions to NRA independence

Speakers

Michael Schütz

Michael Schütz

Policy Officer, European Commission (DG ENER)
Nadia Horstmann

Nadia Horstmann

Co-Chair of Regulatory Benchmarking and Legal Committee, CEER
11:45 - 13:00

Panel discussion: Challenges to NRA independence and experience

  • Latest results from other organisations’ work on independence
  • What are the problems that are encountered there?
  • What can the EU energy sector learn from them?

Speakers

Branislava Marsenic

Branislava Marsenic

Senior Gas and Customer Expert, ECRB
Ervin Kajzinger

Ervin Kajzinger

Co-Chair of the Regulatory Framework Expert Working Group, Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC)
Lamine Zitouni

Lamine Zitouni

Energy expert, MEDREG Secretariat
Yola Thuerer

Yola Thuerer

Policy Analyst, OECD Public Governance Directorate
14:00 - 14:45

Impulse Statement: Case Briefs

Speakers

Johan Roupe

Johan Roupe

Senior Legal Adviser, Energy Markets Inspectorate
Koen Locquet

Koen Locquet

President of the Board of Directors, CREG
15:00 - 15:45

Interactive Session: Empowering Ourselves

  • Presentation of latest draft deliverable
  • Open questions for discussion
  • Examples for individual points from the audience
  • Slido use to capture audience orientation

Speakers

Claire Hellich-Praquin

Claire Hellich-Praquin

Chair of International Relations Working Group, CEER
Katharina Ledermann-Tappeiner

Katharina Ledermann-Tappeiner

Senior Policy Officer, E-Control
15:45 - 16:00

Conclusions

Closing Remarks and Outlook

Speakers

Koen Locquet

Koen Locquet

President of the Board of Directors, CREG