As part of her dissertation project on international energy law, university assistant Vivienne Sailer had the opportunity to attend the 5th Energy Law Day in North-Rhine-Westphalia on 26 March 2026. This conference is organised annually by the three institutes for energy law in North-Rhine-Westphalia. This year, it was hosted by Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and focused on ‘Governance of the Energy Transition’. Presentations from the academic, business and public sectors addressed current issues in national energy law, future technologies and protection against climate change, as well as supply security through the establishment of a capacity market. International law was represented by presentations on the ICJ advisory opinion on climate change and the ECtHR’s ‘KlimaSeniorinnen’ judgment.
The day before, Ms Sailer had the opportunity to network with other doctoral candidates in energy law and engage in discussions regarding various dissertation projects. This exchange covered not only substantive topics but also the writing process itself and the positioning of research within academia and practice, supported by expert presentations.
Special thanks go to the Düsseldorf Institute for Energy Law and HHU for the invitation, as well as to the Fürst-Dietrichstein Stiftung for its generous support of conference participation.