A new European initiative designed to accelerate the energy transition is being launched in Florence, bringing together energy regulators, government officials and public-sector experts from across the European Union.
The Energy Regulation Academy (EnRA), launched by the European Commission and the European University Institute (EUI), will provide specialist training, peer-to-peer exchange and tailored support to national authorities as they implement reforms to Europe’s electricity sector. The initiative is entrusted to the EUI’s Florence School of Regulation (FSR), in collaboration with the European Commission’s Task Force for Reforms and Investment.
The official public launch took place at the EUI on September 15 and will be followed by the first in-person training course from September 16 to 18.
The electricity sector in Europe is undergoing rapid transformation, with reforms reshaping energy markets, renewable energy investment, electricity grid planning, digitalization and consumer protection. The success of these reforms, however, depends in large part on the ability of national authorities to interpret new European rules and translate them into effective regulations. The EnRA has been established to address this challenge by putting public sector professionals at the centre of the transition.
Over the next three years, the academy will support professionals working in regulatory authorities, ministries and other public bodies through specialist training courses, regional meetings addressing shared regulatory challenges and other forms of peer cooperation. Its curriculum will evolve in response to EU priorities and the specific needs of member states. Topics will include electricity market design, investment in energy networks, digitalization and artificial intelligence.
The EUI campus in Florence will regularly welcome officials and technical experts from across the EU, with the academy aiming to establish a permanent community for peer learning and regulatory cooperation.
The initiative is intended to help ensure that energy reforms are implemented more consistently across member states while contributing to a more integrated European energy union.
“EnRA is designed around the realities that professionals face when implementing complex reforms,” said Leonardo Meeus, director of the Florence School of Regulation. “The objective is not simply to transfer knowledge, but to create a European community capable of identifying and solving problems collectively.”
The first training course, held in person from September 16 to 18, will focus on contracts for difference (CfDs) and power purchase agreements (PPAs), two important instruments for supporting investment and development in Europe’s evolving electricity system.
