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ENERGY TRANSPARENCY AWARD 2011

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About the European Energy Regulators

The Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER) was established in 2000 for the cooperation of the independent energy regulators of Europe. It seeks to facilitate the creation of a single, competitive, efficient and sustainable EU internal energy market.

CEER is closely linked to the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) and they share similar objectives. ACER is a formal EU Agency whereas CEER is a Belgian not-for-profit association set up by the regulators themselves.

The forerunner to ACER was the European Regulators Group for Electricity and Gas (ERGEG), a formal advisory group to the European Commisson and created by the Commission in 2003 (Decision 2003/796/EC). With ACER fully operational (since March 2011), ERGEG was dissolved (Commission Decision of 16 May 2011 repealing Decision 2003/796/EC) with effect from 1 July 2011. All past works relating to ERGEG activity (documents, reports, public consultations etc.) can be found on this website of the European Energy Regulators.

For more information on the individual organisations, please use the tabs below.

CEER

ACER

ACER

is the “Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators”. It is a Community body with legal personality. ACER became fully operational on 3 March 2011. Its seat is in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

ACER plays a key role in the integration of the EU’s markets in electricity and natural gas, providing a framework at EU level for national regulators to cooperate and providing clarity and regulatory certainty.

ACER and CEER

The precursor to ACER was the European Regulators Group for Electricity and Gas (ERGEG), which was set up by a European Commission decision in November 2003 (Decision of November 11 2003, 2003/796/EC). With ACER fully operational (since March 2011), ERGEG was dissolved by the Commission, with effect from 1 July 2011 (Decision of 16 May 2011, repealing Decision 2003/796/EC). Some of ERGEG's works passes to ACER (e.g. the Regional Initiatives) and some (e.g. customer issue) to CEER. CEER will continue to exist, in Brussels, as a platform for Europe’s energy regulators to develop common interests that are of pan-European or even wider significance (e.g. smart grids and sustainability issues) and which are complementary (but not overlapping) to ACER's work.

ACER's Foundations

The Third Legislative Package for the Liberalisation of the Energy Market establishes an Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER). The Regulation establishing ACER ((EC) No 713/2009) is part of a set of five legislative acts adopted in summer 2009 aimed at improving the functioning of Europe's electricity and gas markets.

Objectives and Functions

ACER complement and coordinate the work of the NRAs, at EU level. Its competences include preparing Framework Guidelines which will form the bais of EU-wide network codes (drafted by the European Network bodies); taking binding individual decisions on terms and conditions for access and operational security for cross border infrastructure if NRAs cannot agree; giving advice on various energy-related issues to the European institutions; and monitoring and reporting to the European Parliament and the Council.

Governance
ACER is made up of a) a Board of Regulators comprising a senior representative and one alternate of the EU Member States' 27 national regulatory authorities (NRAs) and one non-voting Commission representative; b) an Administrative Board comprising 9 members and one alternate for each, of which 2 members (and their alternates) are appointed by the European Commission, 2 (and their alternates) by the European Parliament and 5 (and their alternates) by the Council; c) a Director; and d) a Board of Appeal.

On 4-5 May 2010, ACER's Board of Regulators held its inaugural meeting (see Press Release). Lord Mogg was elected its first Chair and Walter Boltz its vice-Chair. ACER's Director is Alberto Pototschnig.