The New EU Gas and Hydrogen Package and its implications for Norway
On the 17th of March Leigh Hancer, Matthew Levitt and Henrik Bjørnebye joined the research group for Natural Resource Law, Environmental Law and Development Law on the seminar on the New EU Gas and Hydrogen Package and its implications for Norway.
Main content
This seminar started with a brief introduction to the new EU Gas and Hydrogen Package from Leigh Hancer. The pacage is linked to the 'Fit--for-55'-proposal and the goals in the 'European Green Deal'. One of the key goals is to esablish an EU market for hydrogen gas. Further on, Matthew Levitt gave a presentation on Competition Law and Sustainability: Cooperation between competitors in the time of energy and environmental law change. Essentially, Competition policy can contribute to the 'Green Deal', however, the relationship between envirnomental law and competiton law is not always clear.
Lastly, Henrik Bjørnebye gave a short presentation on the Gas Package and its implications on Norway. As the proposed package will be a part of the general EU climate and energy policy and law, it could have profound consequences for and impact on Norwegian conversion to greener energy, not necessarily in a direct legal manner but a voluntary adaption to the package.
The research group thanks Hancer, Levitt and Bjørnebye for an interesting and informative seminar.
About the speakers
Leigh Hancher is a Professor of European Law at the University of Tilburg and a part-time professor at the Florence School of Regulation within the European University Institute and the Director of the FSR Energy Union Law Area. Her research interests include energy market regulation, EU state aids, energy market governance and focus on the changing role of the government in simulating the liberalisation of traditionally heavily regulated sectors.
Matthew Levitt is a Partner at the Law Firm Baker Botts. Among other areas, Levitt is specialised in the globalisation of competition law, EU competition law and the increasingly challenging international antitrust environment. Prior to joining Baker Botts Levitt has worked in various investigations in the European Commission in shipping.
Henrik Bjørnebye is a Partner at the Law firm BAHR, and a member of their Environment and Energy group. Bjørnebye specialises in energy and climate law, electricity market law, EU and EEA law and other regulatory matters relating to the energy sector. He has more than 20 years’ experience relating to the energy sector and is also a member of the Norwegian Energy Board of Appeal (Energikalgenemda).
