WAREG’s Headquarters and Secretariat are based in Milan (Italy), hosted by the Italian Regulatory Authority for Energy Networks and Environment (ARERA).
WAREG’s institutional office is hosted by the Brussels Energy Regulatory Commission (BRUGEL) in Belgium.
Assembly
The Assembly is made up of one senior manager from each Member. It decides and guides WAREG’s strategic and operational activities, such as priorities, communication and organisation. It meets at least four times a year or more if needed.
The Assembly’s main tasks are to:
decide and plan WAREG’s strategy and actions;
approve new or resigning Members and Observers;
approve agreements with external parties and organisations;
create or close any WAREG bodies;
elect the President and Vice-President of WAREG;
endorse the work of Working Groups and Secretariat, and their publications;
approve WAREG’s official stance on relevant issues;
set and change the rules for association, budget, operation and organisation;
approve joint communications;
The President
The President represents WAREG in external events and follows the Assembly’s decisions and directions, and reports regularly to the Assembly on the Presidency’s activities.
The President and Vice-Presidents are high level representatives of WAREG Members. They serve for two years and can be re-elected. Their mandates belong to the regulatory entity they represent.
The Vice-presidents support the President in his/her responsibilities, and substitute him/her in cases of the President’s absence. They coordinate with the Working Group Chairs, the Secretariat and all Members in order to propose common actions for consideration by the Assembly.
The President and the Vice-Presidents are nominated from amongst high level representatives of WAREG Members for a term of two years, which may be renewed. Their mandates are assigned to the institution (regulatory entity) which they represent.
The responsibility of the Secretariat is to support all WAREG bodies. All WAREG Members may participate at Secretariat meetings. The Secretariat has the power to decide on its internal organisational structure and allocation of roles and responsibilities in order to carry out its activities.
The Secretariat:
ensures the coordination of WAREG activities;
coordinates the organisation of meetings of all WAREG bodies, including drafting the agenda and minutes, and prepares and circulates documents;
moderates Assembly meetings;
coordinates the interaction between the several bodies of WAREG;
drafts the WAREG annual work programme in coordination with the Working Groups’ Co-Chairs;
manages internal communication among WAREG Members;
prepares WAREG documents to be presented to the Assembly;
prepares common positions to external organisations as may be approved by the Assembly;
executes any other function that may be assigned to it by the Assembly
WAREG activated three Task Forces. They collect and review information and also carry out research and analysis on the water and wastewater sector.
ACTIVE WORKING GROUPS & TASKFORCES
Working Group – KPIs
The Task Force KPIs & Benchmarking started its activities in the aftermath of the 7th General Assembly, where it has been decided to start to analyse a selection of KPIs in use by WAREG Members and international databases related to the concept of “water efficiency”. Through questionnaires and data sharing between our Members, TF KPIs & Benchmarking drafterd official report,
The Task Force EU Legislation analyses the potential impact that EU legislation and policy have on WAREG Members and Observers. TF EU Legislation monitors all relevant legislative developments at the EU level, such as the implementation, review and transposition of relevant EU Directives and Regulations, for instance the ongoing revision of the UWWTD, the effects of the EU Taxonomy Regulation and its delegated acts and the transposition of the Drinking Water Directive.
TF – Governance
The Task Force Governance gathers data from our Members and Observers and analyses the answers to questionnaires drafting a general picture of the variety of WAREG regulators. Its strategic goal is to use WAREG’s data to analyse differences, correlations, and relationships between regulation models, analyse accountability, functionality, and effectiveness of regulation and make conclusions and propositions on possible EU regulation changes.
Vera Eiró
Chairman, ERSAR, Portugal
Academic background
PhD in Public Law, NOVA School of Law, Post-graduate course in Environment and Planning Law, Coimbra University Law School, Law Degree, NOVA School of Law.
Professional Experience
Prof. Eiró is a Public Law and Regulatory Expert in Portugal. She was executive Board Member at ERSAR and is now the President of the Board of Directors of ERSAR.
She is a Public Law Professor since 2012 and her research and teaching areas in the academia cover Regulation, Administrative Law, Public Procurement and Planning Law.
Until November 2020, she was a Counsel and Head of Public Law and Regulatory in the Finance department at Linklaters LLP (Lisbon office) having also worked at Linklaters LLP Paris office (2004). Her practice focused on public procurement and administrative, environmental, energy and planning laws. As a legal practitioner, she has over 15 years of experience in providing legal advice in regulatory and public law issues relevant to project finance, litigation and M&A transactions, in highly regulated sectors.
Vera was an assistant in the Portuguese Constitutional Court and has also been appointed arbitrator in administrative law/public law and consumer disputes.
Pál Ságvári
Vice President, MEKH, Hungary
Vice President For Strategic and International Affairs, Hungarian Energy And Public Utility Regulatory Authority (MEKH)
Pál Ságvári was appointed as Vice President of the Hungarian Energy and Public Utility Regulatory Authority (MEKH) and Vice-Chair of Energy Regulators Regional Association (ERRA) in November 2020. Between 2016 and 2021 he was Ambassador-at-large for energy security of Hungary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He was Director for energy policy in the Ministry of National Development between 2011-14. He started his professional energy career in 2006 with GDF SUEZ (ENGIE) in various expert positions.
Ivaylo Kastchiev
Director, EWRC, Bulgaria
Ivaylo Kastchiev holds PhD in Economics and Management in Sofia University, Bulgaria, MBA in City University of Seattle, USA, and others. He works in the Water and sanitation sector since 2003.
Between 2003 and 2013 Mr. Kastchiev worked in Sofiyska Voda – the biggest water and sanitation operator in Bulgaria and only example of PPP, where he was responsible for strategic investment planning, life-cycle asset management, network operations and maintenance, non-revenue water reduction, business plan preparation and various aspects of WS management.
Since 2013 Mr. Kastchiev works in the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission of Bulgaria, where he started as department manager and later on became Water and Sanitation Services Director. He is responsible for preparation and execution of all aspects of national regulation of quality and prices of water and sanitation services.
Mr. Kastchiev is Board member and Vice-president in WAREG (European Water Regulators Network); previous chair and currently board member of “Institutional Governance and Regulation” specialist group in IWA; works with the World Bank in projects related to the WS sector with countries in Europe and Central Asia; and is author of several scientific publications in the area of WS asset management and sector governance.
Andrea Guerrini
Board Member, ARERA, Italy
Andrea Guerrini is Commissioner of ARERA, the Italian Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and Environment (www.arera.it), and President of WAREG, the Association of European Water Regulators (www.wareg.org).
From 2016 until his nomination in ARERA in August 2018, he was President of the Public Operator of the City of Livorno (www.asaspa.it).
Mr Guerrini is professor of Performance Management, Planning and Control in the Department of Business Economics at the University of Verona, where he has been researching and teaching water utilities and regulation.
He is the author of numerous publications, including monographs and articles for international reviews. In 2014 he wrote a book on “Water management in Italy: Governance, Performance and Sustainability” and in 2018 a book on “Management of water services companies. An operational manual for management and control”.
He has been leading research projects financed by the EU, and was one of the founders of the Water Management and Technology Research Centre.
Prof. Guerrini has been drafting the tariff methodology for drinking water services for the City of Bolzano.
Konstantinos Tsimaras
Board Member, RAAEY, Greece
Professor Konstantinos Tsimaras has a law degree from University of Athens, one LLM from University of Sorbonne (Paris I), one MSc in Political Science from the same University and a PhD also from the same University. He continued his studies in a post-doc. level in the Universities of Toledo and Lisbon.
He is professor at various Universities in Greece and Cyprus from 2002. He is the Dean of the school of Law at European University Cyprus. He is visiting professor at the University of Toulouse. He teaches public law(constitutional, administrative law), energy law, public economy law, human rights.
He is Commissioner (member of the Board) at the Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE) in Greece from 2020. As a member of the board he participates to the supervision of all the programs of RAE.
He is Vice – President of Medreg from 2022. Medreg is the association of all energy regulators of the Mediterranean Sea. As a Vice-President supervises 5 working groups (electricity, gas, renewables and energy efficiency, consumers protection and institutional affairs).
He represents RAE and participates to the board reunions of RAAC group of the East Med Gas Forum (EMGF) from 2020.
He represents RAE and he participates to the board meetings of Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER) from 2020.
He represents Greece in ECRB, Energy Community Regulator Board, from 2020 and participates to the Board meetings for the energy transition and energy efficiency in western Balkans (including Albania), and non-EU countries in Eastern Europe.
With the president of RAE, represents RAE to ACER and participates to the meetings (concerning Corporate Services, Electricity, Infrastructure, Gas and Retail Department, Market Surveillance and Conduct, Market Information and Transparency) from 2020.
He represents RAE at the association of French speaking energy regulators from 2020.
He is the president of the administration board of the Interdisciplinary Research Center for Energy at European University Cyprus from 2019.
He participated at the committees who prepared 2 European framework programs, financed by EU (European Social Fund and European Regional Development Fund) for the periods of 2007-2013, 2014-2020.
He was legal consultant to a public entity (Information Society SA) which was responsible for the realisation of the operational program “Information Society” (financed by the European Regional Development Fund) from 2003- 2006.
From 1999 and for 18 years he was senior researcher for the European Public Law Organization in programs as twinning programs (for ex. twinning Serbia) or other programs financed by EU funds or UN funds concerning state reorganization, public administration reorganization, justice reorganization, transition to market economy, privatizations, market regulation, acquis communautaire.
Christian Minelli
Head of the Secretariat
Official at the Italian Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and Environment (ARERA) since 2010, where he has been developing European and International institutional relations on energy and water utility services regulation, at multilateral and bilateral level, and assisting ARERA’s Board Members. ARERA representative in the OECD Network of Economic Regulators, the International Water Association, the Council of European Energy Regulators.
Since 2014 he is the General Coordinator of WAREG the first European association of national and regional agencies responsible for economic regulation of drinking water and wastewater services. Before serving in ARERA, he was policy officer in the Cabinet of the President of the Italian Senate.
Graduated in Diplomacy and International Relations (University of Trieste), European Studies (College of Europe, Bruges), and MBA from SDA Bocconi School of Management (Milan, Italy).
Fjola Beqiri
Regulatory Specialist
Fjola Beqiri is graduated as a Sociologist from University of Tirana and after that she graduated in Law Tirana University and hold a master degree Msc. in Public Rights.
She works at Albanian Water Regulatory Authority since 2009 and actually hold the position Director in the Law and Consumer Department in charge with legal procedure, public relation and consumer protection. She has a wide professional experience of Consumer Protection in Water Sector and she has conducted many qualifications inside and outside the country on consumer issues.
Fjola Beqiri joined in 2021 WAREG Secretariat as a regulatory Specialist dealing with Capacity Building projects for Western Balkan Regulators.
Mariam Ioseliani
Project Manager
Ms. Mariam Ioseliani has 18 years of legal, regulatory and project management experience. In different periods (2004-2013) she worked in the legal department of the National Bank of Georgia; International Committee of the Red Cross Tbilisi Office, Chamber of Control of Georgia Project financed by the World Bank.
In 2012-2013 Ms. Ioseliani was a legal lead at Deloitte/USAID Hydropower Investment Promotion Project (HIPP), focusing on drafting laws and secondary legislation on energy. In 2013-2014 was a head of legal team at Deloitte/USAID Hydropower and Energy Planning Project (HPEP). In 2018-2019 Ms. Ioseliani was local legal advisor of the USAID “Governance for Growth” G4G projects assisting foreign experts in the development of the legal framework for tourism and in the drafting of evaluation regulations; Since 2014 until now, she is the Director of GNERC’s International Relations Department, a member to the Advisory Board of the Elizbar Eristavi Energy Training Center where since 2022 has been manager of 4 international projects funded by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, UNICEF and Visegrad Fund. She participated in the drafting process of legal and regulatory framework of Georgia, supporting the implementation of the EU Energy Acquis, especially EU Third Energy Package.
Recently, on December 11, 2024 Ms. Ioseliani has joined WAREG Secretariat as a Project Manager of international projects along fulfilling other tasks at the Secretariat.
She holds BA and Master Degrees in International Law from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (2000-2005), Georgia, and LL.M in Business, Corporate and Maritime Law from the Erasmus University Rotterdam, Erasmus School of Law, the Netherlands. (2010-2011). Ms. Ioseliani speaks, English, Russian and French languages.
Vittorio Graziano
Communications Officer
Vittorio Graziano is a Communications Officer at WAREG, the Association of European Water Regulators. He manages communication activities and supports collaboration among member authorities on regulatory matters related to water and wastewater services.
His work focuses on facilitating the exchange of knowledge and best practices in economic regulation and contributing to the development of policies that promote sustainable water management across Europe.
