Description
The aim of the course is to familiarize students with the basic concepts, general principles, institutions and procedures of Energy Law. To this end, we will analyze the evolution of Energy Law in modern times, based on the legal provisions in force and available case law of national and international courts. As EU Energy Law, with its contribution to energy market liberalization and the European Green Deal, essentially determines the legal framework throughout Europe, the course would inevitably concentrate particularly on these aspects.
Modern Energy Law is understood as a multidimensional, specialized scientific topic. In particular, public interest parameters related to the energy sector (i.e. security of supply, economic efficiency, protection of the environment and considerations relating to climate change) decisively determine the current legal order. Thus, because of energy markets liberalization and the abolition of former sectoral public monopolies, specific institutions and tools for market regulation emerge, while legal norms are standardized and multiplied, complex legal relations are created due to the network market structure and legal disputes need to be settled. At the same time, the necessity to mitigate the dangers of the acute climate crisis direct the developments in the sector and redefines the applicable legal framework.
Objectives
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to
Contents
In this context, we intent to examine specific aspects of Energy Law and in particular to emphasize the following:
(a) Public Law issues, such as regulatory institutions and tools as well as methods of state intervention in the energy sector;
(b) European and International Law issues related to the formation, development and interpretation of EU Energy laws and regulations, as well as to specialized international agreements such as the Energy Charter Treaty; and
(c) Private Law issues, related to the problems and disputes arising in the complex legal relations that are characteristic to the energy sector and the ways to efficiently tackle such disputes.
For such purposes the applicable legal framework as well as case-law with special reference to the jurisprudence of the ECJ shall be examined in depth.
Academic Requirements
Participants are required to have previous knowledge of public and private law as well as of EU and of international law.
Teaching method
The course will run under seminar format, which requires a high degree of student activity. Materials shall be distributed in electronic form. Students are expected to have studied each session’s material before class and to actively participate during class.
Lecturers
The module is taught by Associate Professor Ekaterini Iliadou (Public Law); Associate Professor Konstantinos Karagiannis and Associate Professor Ioannis Delikostopoulos (Private Law); Professor Maria Gavouneli and Assistant Professor Anastasios Gourgourinis (International Law)
Assessment and testing