Essex Law Scholars Explore the Transformative Power of the Energy Transition at the French Embassy in London

During a two-day workshop hosted by the French Embassy in London on 13-14 October 2025, colleagues and students from Essex Law School collaborated with partners from Université Paris-Saclay, Université Lyon 3 and Université Marie et Louis Pasteur to explore the theme ‘The Transformative Power of the Energy Transition’.

The event was funded through the Seed Meeting Programme of the French Embassy in the UK, which supports collaborative research between French and British institutions. The Programme enables interdisciplinary teams to develop joint research agendas and future funding proposals around shared scientific priorities.

This exceptional meeting both reflected and strengthened the long-standing partnership between Essex and its French counterparts, while providing a vibrant intellectual space for exchanging ideas and building new research networks around energy law, climate governance and socio-legal change.

Dr Etienne Durand from Essex Law School coordinated the School’s participation in the Seed Meeting, building on his ongoing research on the impact of the energy transition on the development of EU law. As he explained:
“My impression is that the energy transition is rewriting the logic of law itself, not just refining it: it redefines priorities, governance instruments, and the balance between state intervention and market mechanisms. 
And after two days of exceptionally high-quality discussions with colleagues and students from Essex and France, the conviction has steadily grown!
In short, the energy transition does not merely demand new rules; it invites a rethinking of what law is for in the era of climate neutrality and social justice” 

This hypothesis, first presented at the National University of Singapore, was further developed in discussions with Dr Benoît Blottin (Université Paris-Saclay), Dr Loïc Robert (Université Lyon 3), Dr Vincent Bertrand (Université Marie et Louis Pasteur), and Dr Denise Cheong (National University of Singapore). Together, the researchers explored how the energy transition might reshape fundamental legal concepts and governance models not only within EU law but also across other legal systems and disciplines, including human rights, economics and the social sciences.

Essex colleagues Dr Godswill Agbaitoro, Dr Yinka Lewis, Siân Posy, and Zeynep Baysar also contributed to these cross-border exchanges, joined by Ninon Guido and Lily-Rose Kallyntschuk, both second-year students in Essex’s Double Degree in French and British Law. Ninon and Lily-Rose delivered the final summary of discussions, which will serve as a foundation for joint funding applications and future research collaborations.

The Seed Meeting Programme marks the first step towards a larger research initiative entitled ‘The Transformative Power of the Energy Transition’, with plans to apply for collaborative grants in 2025. The project will continue to welcome colleagues interested in the intersections between energy law, EU governance and the broader socio-legal transformations of the green transition.

Photos from the event are provided by participants.