On 4 April- 6 April 2019, Masaryk University, Telč, Czech Republic will host the Conference: Energy and Climate Policy of the Juncker Commission: 4 Years of the Energy Union . The conference is jointly organized by Masaryk University (Czech Republic), gLAWcal - Global Law Initiatives for Sustainable Development (United Kingdom); the European Society of International Law (ESIL) Interest Group on International Environmental Law and the American Society of International Law(ASIL) Interest Group on Intellectual Property Law on the occasion of the Conference for Young Lawyers (COFOLA) International.
“I want to reform and reorganise Europe’s energy policy in a new European Energy Union.”
Jean-ClaudeJuncker, 19 March 2015
The European Commission’s Communication “Framework Strategy for a Resilient Energy Union with a Forward-Looking Climate Change Policy” created a new momentum to bring about the transition to a low-carbon, secure and competitive economy.Introduced in February 2015, the Energy Union is designed to bring greater energy security, sustainability and competitiveness for all EU citizens. The energy Union is focused on five mutually supportive dimensions: energy security, solidarity and trust; a fully integrated European energy market;energy efficiency contributing to moderation of demand; decarbonising the economy, and research, innovation and competitiveness.
In line with the EU 2030 Framework for climate and energy and the European Energy Security Strategy, the Energy Union was expected to create an integrated continent-wide energy system where energy flows freely across borders, based on competition and effective regulation and to complete the single energy market in Europe. It was understood that more competition leads to greater market efficiency through better use of energy generation facilities across the EU.The Commission recognized that many household consumers had too little choice of energy suppliers and too little control over their energy costs. In this context, the Commission expressed its determination to redesign the regulatory framework,to strictly enforce competition rules and to ensure a better functioning of cross-border energy markets.
Based on true solidarity and trust, the Energy Union was expected to enhance security of energy supply, especially to diversify its supply of gas, to make the EU more resilient to supply disruptions and to introduce common crisis management. The Juncker Commission emphasised that in order to diversify energy supplies it was necessary to deliver new sources of gas, to build necessary infrastructure and to explore the full potential of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
In order to facilitate transition towards a low-carbon economy and to make the EU a global hub for developing the next generation of technically advanced and competitive renewable energies, the Juncker Commission expressed its determination to fully implement existing legislation and put in place new market rules. The Commission emphasised that renewable production needed to be efficiently integrated into the market, cooperation should be facilitated, and decarbonisation of the transport sector and heating and cooling sector should be accelerated. In this context, the EU’s Emission Trading System was understood to play an important role in setting the right investment signals.
The Juncker Commission acknowledged that the EU should use all external policy instruments to ensure that a strong, united EU engages constructively with its partners and speaks with one voice on energy and climate in order to provide an ambitious contribution to the international climate negotiations, especially UNFCCC negotiations.
The Juncker Commission also acknowledged that a forward-looking, energy and climate-related R&I strategy should be at the heart of the Energy Union. In this context,the Commission was expected to establish a new European energy R&I approach to accelerate energy system transformation. Efficient industrial strategy was believed to enable the EU industry to benefit from the first-mover advantage within international technology markets, with the resulting positive effects on competitiveness and job creation.
The European Commission also concluded that the Energy Union needed a reliable and transparent governance process, anchored in legislation, to make sure that energy-related actions at European, regional, national and local level all contribute to the Energy Union’s objectives.
Since the Juncker Commission’s mandate ends in 2019, the conference aims at assessing the first four years of the Energy Union.
Masaryk University (Czech Republic), gLAWcal - Global Law Initiatives for Sustainable Development (United Kingdom) ; the European Society of International Law (ESIL) Interest Group on International Environmental Law and the American Society of International Law (ASIL) Interest Group on Intellectual Property Law invite contributions addressing legal dimensions of the Energy Union, as well contributions taking non-legal perspectives (social, political and economic).
This call is open for junior academics, as well as practitioners of international organizations and NGOs working in these areas. The objective is to optimize research impact of our participants by engaging the different communities of practice in law, political science, climatology or environmental science in this interdisciplinary field of sustainability, energy and environment.
The conference will take place at the premises of the Masaryk University in Telč, Czech Republic on 4 – 6 April 2019.
All members of the ESIL Interest Group on International Environmental Law, the members of other ESIL IGs, the member of the ASIL Interest Group on Intellectual Property Law, the members of other ESIL IGs and ASIL IGs and also the non-ESIL and non-ASIL members (ESIL or ASIL membership will be required if the abstract is selected) are invited to submit abstracts.
Deadline for submission of abstracts – 28 February 2019
Registration to the conference is possible only electronically via Registration system
Abstracts must be submitted via Registration system :
https://www.law.muni.cz/applications/en/
http://cofola.law.muni.cz/content/en/cofola-international/
Multiple abstracts from the same authors will be considered, but only one can be selected. Co-authored multidisciplinary papers are also welcomed.
The Organizers are unable to provide funding for any cost related to the participation to the conference.
The organizers plan to publish peer-reviewed post-conference proceedings with ISBN and ISSN in the printed form. Post-conference proceedings from COFOLA INTERNATIONAL 2019 will be submitted into databases Scopus and Web of Science.
Paolo Davide Farah (West Virginia University, USA and gLAWcal - Global Law Initiatives for Sustainable Development,UK & ESIL Board Member and Convener of the ESIL IG on International Environmental Law), email: paolo.farah@glawcal.org.uk
Martin Svec (Convener of the ESIL IG on International Environmental Law and PhD Candidate at the Masaryk University, Czech Republic), email: martin.svec@mail.muni.cz
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