Most firms advise on the law. We also work on what the law becomes.
Legal and regulatory counsel for energy, infrastructure, climate and sustainability — combined with advocacy strategies in the EU, Switzerland and internationally.
Counsel and advocacy, under one roof.
Counsel.
Compliance, permitting, contracts, disputes, arbitration. The traditional craft of energy law, done to the highest standard.
Advocacy.
Consultations, institutions, governments, public opinion. Your interests represented before drafts become law — when influence is still possible.
Compliance tells you where you stand. Advocacy changes where you can arrive.
What we do.
Advice
Straight answers on your regulatory questions — from carbon border charges to network regulation and renewable fuels.
Support
Arbitration and litigation, from the ECT to the European Court of Justice.
Review
Operations and contracts checked against the new rules.
Advance
Your interests advocated while legislation is still a draft.
Manage
Authorisation, classification and reporting, run by us.
Lookout
Monitoring and alerts, so nothing surprises you.
Briefings.
The files on our docket, condensed to what really matters.
Stromabkommen: the parliamentary phase has begun
Signed in Brussels on 2 March 2026 and sent to Parliament with the Bilaterals III package on 13 March, the electricity agreement cleared its first hurdle on 23 June, when the Council of States' energy committee voted 6–4 with three abstentions to enter into detailed deliberation. The outcome remains open, and the domestic implementing legislation — above all the design of basic supply under full market opening — is where the substance now sits. SFOE dossier
ETS Phase 5: free allocation slowed, CBAM phase-in pushed to 2038
The Commission's ETS revision of 17 July 2026 sets the framework for 2031–2040. For the six CBAM sectors, 15% of already phased-out free allocation returns from 2028 and the full phase-out moves from 2034 to 2038 — four years of relief for EU producers, four years of lower certificate costs for importers. From 2031, free allocation becomes conditional on a verified plan to invest in EU decarbonisation. A companion benchmarks proposal adds roughly €6 billion in free allocation for 2026–2030. Commission — free allocation
CBAM is live — and about to get much wider
The definitive regime began on 1 January 2026; certificate sales start on 1 February 2027, with a 50-tonne de minimis threshold per importer. The bigger development is scope: the Council agreed its general approach on 12 June 2026, widening the Commission's list of some 180 downstream goods to around 200 metal-intensive industrial, construction and electrical products, with Parliament adopting its position in the September plenary. Application is foreseen from 1 January 2028. Importers of fabricated metal goods, machinery and vehicle parts should be running the numbers now. European Parliament briefing
Brussels turns to electricity bills and system costs
A proposal of 17 July 2026 would amend the Electricity Regulation (EU) 2019/943 to future-proof electricity bills by reducing system costs and pushing electrification and digitalisation — network tariffs, flexibility and grid planning all in scope. CEER published its initial views on 17 September and the Council working party has taken up the file. For grid users and large consumers, tariff methodology is where the money is. CEER
Russian gas phase-out: the spot LNG ban lands first
Following the Parliament's resolution of 17 December 2025, spot-market LNG of Russian origin is banned from entry into force of the regulation at the end of 2026, with pipeline supplies phased out by 30 September 2027. For anyone holding affected supply agreements, the live questions are change-in-law allocation, force majeure and the practical proof of origin — all of which belong in contract review well before the dates bite. Parliament report
Omnibus I has rewritten who reports at all
Directive (EU) 2026/470 entered into force on 18 March 2026. CSRD now reaches only companies above 1,000 employees and €450 million net turnover; CSDDD only above 5,000 employees and €1.5 billion, with the mandatory climate transition plan obligation removed and application deferred to 2029. Transposition falls due on 19 March 2027 and 26 July 2028 respectively, and the first reports under the revised standards cover FY2027. Out of scope is not off the hook: large customers still pass the questions down the supply chain.
Minimum efficiency standards for data centres
The Commission opened a public consultation on 21 September 2026 on minimum performance standards for data centres in Europe, with input due by 14 December. With load growth now a central grid-planning problem, operators and their power suppliers have a narrow window to shape requirements that will later be applied to them. Commission — energy news
Our take — guest commentary in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung
The Stromabkommen is not the end of the conversation. It is where the real work begins.
Switzerland gains market access, legal certainty and a place in the EU energy system — and takes on EU rules it does not vote on. The answer: track Brussels early, engage during decision-shaping. Written before signature; with the agreement now before the Swiss Parliament, the argument has only become more concrete. Read our guest commentary in the NZZ.
Our team.
A partnership of legal, regulatory and policy experts from different countries, based in Zug — one of the main global hubs for energy and natural resources. Practitioners and senior academic scholars alike.
Prof. Kim Talus
Founding Partner
Professor of European Energy Law at UEF Law School and Director of its Centre for Climate Change, Energy and Environmental Law; Professor of Energy Law at the University of Helsinki; Honorary Editor-in-Chief of OGEL. Advises companies, developers and governments on hydrogen, power, nuclear, gas and LNG across Europe, the US and Australia.
Dr Sirja-Leena Penttinen
Senior Adviser
Tenured Associate Professor of Law and Sustainability Transitions at the University of Lapland. Advises public authorities and international organisations; previously Legal Adviser at the Finnish Energy Authority, with positions held in the EU and the US.
Jaqueline Santos Ruas Baessa Pinto
Senior Adviser
Natural resources, commercial and energy lawyer with eight years in international law firms; admitted attorney and notary in South Africa. Doctoral researcher at UEF's CCEEL within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie THERESA network, working on cross-sectoral hydrogen regulation and hydrogen valley governance.
Francisca Gallegos Aguirre
Senior Adviser
Specialist in the regulation of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen, and PhD researcher at the University of Eastern Finland on hydrogen certification schemes. Advises companies, governments and developers on certification and energy policy across Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific.
Sebastian Peter Sass
Founding & Managing Partner
20+ years at the interface of law, policy and the energy industries, in the private sector and in public administration across Europe. Has advised leading European energy undertakings on regulation, EU law and the permitting of cross-border infrastructure. Law degrees from Germany and the UK, LLM EU Law. Based in Switzerland.
Events & speaking.
We convene our own seminar series in Zug and often speak at the industry's main gatherings.
Energy Policy Outlook: Switzerland – EU
Freiruum, Zug
The evening took up the energy trilemma as it stands and as it is developing — security of supply, sustainability and affordability — against the backdrop of Swiss integration into the European energy system.
Keynote: Rudy Van Beurden, Senior Vice President Public Affairs at FluxSwiss and Chairman of the Transmission Committee of the International Gas Union, on "Bridging Borders: Swiss Energy Infrastructure, EU Integration, and Navigating Geopolitical Challenges".
The Swiss–EU Electricity Agreement
Freiruum, Zug
Electricity market access was examined as the precondition for hydrogen and eFuels development, alongside the European initiative on energy flexibility — resilience, renewables and the demand surge from AI.
Keynote: Christian Pho Duc, CTO of Smartenergy Group AG and Board Director at SolarPower Europe, on "Power, Molecules and Resilience".
Gastech Exhibition & Conference, Milan
Two contributions from Prof. Kim Talus and Sebastian Sass: the case for a necessary reconfiguration of the EU's approach to hydrogen, and how the LNG industry should deal with the EU Methane Regulation.
Swiss Hydrogen Summit, Zurich
Prof. Kim Talus on how Swiss hydrogen can benefit from the European market.
Hydrogen: strategy and contracts
Freiruum, Zug
Prof. Kim Talus presented on Switzerland's hydrogen strategy; Jaqueline Pinto on contractual frameworks for hydrogen valley development.
Hydrogen: opportunities and barriers
Freiruum, Zug
Prof. Kim Talus set out where the opportunities in hydrogen actually lie, and which regulatory barriers still stand in the way.
Global Energy Transition Congress, Milan
Prof. Kim Talus asked whether the EU needs to reconsider its approach to hydrogen imports.
The Topical Apéro is our own series: one sharp regulatory question, one keynote from someone who lives with it, and an evening of conversation over drinks and buffet at the Freiruum in Zug. Invitation only — write to mail@erpartners.eu to be added to the list.
Start the conversation.
Tell us what you operate, where, and what your challenges are — we will tell you what to do about it.
CH-6300 Zug, Switzerland