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Press releases 14 December 2020

Towards a better represented and stronger EERA


During its 10th General Assembly, the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) revised some articles of the Association Statutes to broaden the representativeness of the Alliance.

Brussels – Broader geographical coverage, increased representation of the European energy research community, higher visibility of EERA within the EU-ecosystem; these were the driving forces behind the revisions to the Association Statutes of the European Energy Research Alliance approved by the latest General Assembly. They lead to structural and operational changes in the Executive Committee (ExCo), a key EERA governing body, and will enter into force in 2021.

On 12 November 2020, the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) held its 10th General Assembly. The latest session of the EERA deliberative body focused on revising some articles of the Association Statutes, particularly those defining the structure, eligibility, and selection criteria of its Executive Committee. The amendments seek to take into consideration the evolution of the European and international landscape as well as to expand EERA’s Executive Committee by extending the access to smaller organizations and from additional member countries.

Currently, the Executive Committee is composed by 15 full EERA members, each representing a different country. Members are selected through a ranking based on the significance of the organization in the field of clean energy research and on its actual contribution to EERA Joint Programmes. Starting from the next ExCo elections set to take place in May 2021, the General Assembly will be able to nominate up to five additional member organizations, besides the selection of members through the current rules. Moreover, at least one of the newly nominated members shall have seat in a Member State with EU accession in 2004 or later (New Member State). The aim of such change is to increase the representativity of EERA’s Executive Committee and to strengthen the Association’s geographical coverage, particularly by widening its activities in EU-13 countries.

In the words of Nils Røkke, President of EERA, these changes to the Alliance Statutes aim at “paving the way towards a stronger, better, and independent EERA, a much-needed shift to give the best support in the co-creation process that realizing the energy transition entails.” For Adel El Gammal, EERA Secretary General, they “embody the commitment of EERA to its mission. To achieve climate neutrality in Europe, the best research and innovation (R&I) actors, without distinction in size or country of origin, need to collaborate to make the clean transition a reality.”

About the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA)

The European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) is an association of European public research centres and universities active in low-carbon energy research. EERA pursues the mission of catalysing European energy research for a climate-neutral society by 2050. Bringing together more than 250 organisations from 30 countries, EERA is Europe’s largest energy research community. EERA coordinates its research activities through 18 Joint Programmes and is a key player in the European Union’s Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan. For further information, see https://www.eera-set.eu/.   

 

Contact

Maria Luisa Fernandez Vanoni
Communications Manager
The European Energy Research Alliance (EERA)
E-mail: ml.fernandez@eera-set.eu