The conference
gathered more than 60 participants from around the globe, with both young PhD researchers and senior legal academics, but also representatives from the industry, public authorities, law firms and students.
The conference provided a platform for discussion and knowledge sharing on various legal issues of energy market design and just energy transition under net zero emission goals.
Two pillars
The presentations hold at the conference built on the two pillars of the ELAWNET initiative, which are:
- - Energy markets regulation, with the legal study of electricity market design rules in the transition towards low carbon energy systems as well as the speeding up permitting procedures for renewables.
- - The interlinkage between energy law and just transition, including empirical legal studies focusing on the social challenges of implementing energy transition legislation.
Under these two pillars, the many presentations addressed crucial issues stressing the regulatory fragmentation in net zero pathways, and to which extent the energy transition represents a massive challenge for legal systems.
A first example is the manner electricity market design regulation needs to adapt and support new production and consumption models. Another example of this is how property concepts are challenges, which limitation to property the energy transition entails and the prospects of new ownership models.
The conference addressed the topic of rights-based approach to energy transition. Presenters also discussed the core considerations for regulatory models consisting in sovereignty, solidarity, security of supply and fairness.
1st ELAWNET PhD School
On 16 May, the ELAWNET initiative organized its first PhD school in energy law, where 18 PhD candidates got the opportunity to discuss substantive and methodological topics relevant to their thesis, and present their own project, receiving feedback.
Thanks
We thank all presenters and participants for the great interest shown during the conference and the PhD school, and the quality of the discussions. We address a particular thank to the partners to the ELAWNET network, especially the University of Richmond (USA).
Second edition - Spring 2025
We look forward to the second edition of the ELAWNET conference to be organized in the spring of 2025. In the meantime, we are already working on the publication of the proceedings of this first edition together with our publishing partners, the OGEL Energy Law Journal and the MarIus periodical of the Scandinavian Institute of Maritime Law.
