Energy Regulatory Office

The overall purpose of the Agency is to coordinate and support national energy regulators in carrying out their regulatory tasks at Union level in the Member States and where necessary, to coordinate and mediate disputes between them.

ACER main tasks include e.g.:

• facilitating cooperation between the National Regulatory Authorities and between the regulatory bodies at a regional and EU level, as well as providing framework within which regulators can cooperate;
• issuing recommendations to support regulatory bodies and market participants in sharing good practices;
• adopting individual decisions on regulatory issues having effects on cross-border trade or cross-border system security which require a joint decision by at least two regulatory authorities, where such competences have been conferred on the regulatory authorities on the basis of a joint request from the competent regulatory authorities or in case where the competent regulatory authorities have not been able to reach an agreement;
• monitoring regional cooperation between Transmission System Operators in the electricity and gas sectors as well as the execution of the tasks of the ENTSO for Electricity, and the ENTSO for Gas and the EU DSO entity;
• participating in development of Network Codes; developing framework guidelines which are non-binding by nature (in case the Commission will request to do so); monitoring the implementation of the Network Codes adopted by the Commission; revision of the Network Codes; where the ENTSO for Electricity, the ENTSO for Gas or the EU DSO entity have failed to develop a network code, ACER shall prepare and submit a draft network code to the Commission where it is requested to do so;
• reviewing and approving proposals for common terms and conditions or methodologies for the implementation of Network Codes and guidelines, which require the approval of all regulatory authorities;

• monitoring and analysing the activities of regional coordination centres, in close cooperation with the regulatory authorities and ENTSO-E;
• monitoring the wholesale and retail markets for electricity and natural gas, in particular retail prices for electricity and gas, access to the networks, including access of electricity produced from renewable energy sources, potential barriers to cross-border trade, regulatory barriers for new market entrants, and the performance of the Member States in the area of security of supply of electricity based on the results of the European resource adequacy assessment;

The scope of the Agency’s tasks is extremely wide and resulting from its legal basis the  Regulation (EU) no. 2019/942 and other legal acts, i.a. REMIT.

In March 2021 URE President Rafał Gawin was appointed for the position of ACER Board of Regulators’ Vice Chairman.

For more information about the Agency, please visit: Home | www.acer.europa.eu