Excursion to Brussels

Between the 9^th and 10^th March 2020, the students in the course Energy Investment and Trade Law of the LLM programme Energy and Climate Law visited a series of institutions in Brussels. On Monday the 9^th, they were invited by the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) Secretariat. During six presentations they learned about the work of the Secretariat (such as national energy investment climate assessments and energy efficiency programmes) and the energy sectors in various regions, such as Western Africa and Central Asia, and countries such as China and Benin. The presentations provided first-hand insights and practical feedback on the integration and the role of various current and future ECT Member States. In the evening, the students, the accompanying supervisors and a few alumni of the LLM programme had dinner together in a relaxed atmosphere.

On Tuesday the 10^th, the group visited the intergovernmental Benelux organisation. Presentations and debates centred around the ever-deepening energy integration of the Benelux countries within the European Union and their commitment towards regulating innovation in the energy sector (for example the development of an adequate regulatory framework for hydrogen), the Pentalateral Energy Forum with France and Germany, and the North Seas Energy Forum works on offshore windfarms and grid development in the region. Unfortunately, two speakers from the EU Commission (Directorate General Energy) had to cancel their contributions on short notice due to their Coronavirus prevention policy.

This excursion was part of the Energy Investment and Trade Law course coordinated by Dr. Ruven Fleming and was supervised by Dr. Lea Diestelmeier and Dr. Romain Mauger.