Key messages
- Portugal’s Energy Services Regulatory Authority (Entidade Reguladora dos Serviços Energéticos, ERSE) has provided stability and predictability to the sector since the start of market liberalisation in the 1990s. The regulator has successfully taken on new functions over the years, and has shown flexibility and agility in adapting its governance and regulatory practices to a changing context and new challenges.
- ERSE can strengthen its identity as a forward-looking regulatory authority, enlarging its appetite for experimentation, including identifying areas where more risks can be taken and innovations tested. The strategic plan is a testament to the regulator’s technical capabilities, but it can be used further to showcase ERSE’s value to a wider audience.
- Building on the trust that ERSE has put in place with its stakeholders at large, ERSE can take steps to build a constructive, ‘no surprises’ relationship with the executive and legislative in order to set expectations on work priorities and create a more predictable and stable framework for resourcing.
- The use of consultative councils by ERSE is an effective and mature mechanism for stakeholder engagement. The councils allow energy sector participants to share viewpoints and reach consensus when possible, thus playing a role even beyond an engagement mechanism for the regulator. ERSE should continue the positive practice of using the councils, and preserve their value through proportionate use.
contact
For further information, please contact Ana Simion and Anna Pietikainen, OECD Regulatory Policy Division.