The Centre for Environmental and Energy Law (CMER) is part of the Department of European, Public and International Law of the Faculty of Law and Criminology of Ghent University.
Our research includes fundamental (PhD) and applied (policy oriented) legal and policy research, and multidisciplinary research.
It covers different layers of law (international, European and national/regional, with a comparative law approach) as well as the various sectors of environmental law and energy law (climate, energy, biodiversity, pollution, land-use, animals, etc.).
Through its research and the organization of workshops, conferences and symposia the CMER aims to be a driving force for sustainable development and the transition towards a carbon neutral economy.
European Environmental Law Forum Conference 2025
CMER UGent hosted the 12th EELF Conference in September 2025, which focussed on the role of law in driving the paradigm shift towards climate adaptation in the EU.
Conference poster for a quick overview on focus, dates and themes
Conference website for detailed information, programme, registration and practical information
PhD research in the spotlight
Electricity Demand-side Management as a Road for Promoting the Uptake of Renewable Electricity: An Examination of EU Law (2025)
Expertise: EU energy law; Comparative law; Environmental law
Prior to her doctoral research, Ting Chen completed an LL.M. in Energy Law at the University of Aberdeen, graduating with commendation (2019), alongside a Master’s degree in Environmental Law from Wuhan University (2020). Her legal education began with a Bachelor of Law from Anhui University (2017). Her PhD research was jointly funded by the China Scholarship Council and the BOF funding of Ghent University. Her doctoral work was conducted under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Frederik Vandendriessche as the main promoter and Prof. Dr. Luc Lavrysen as the co-promoter. Her PhD guidance committee further included Prof. Dr. Hendrik Schoukens and Sarah Van Kerckhoven of the Flemish Utility Regulator, bringing both academic and regulatory expertise into the research process.
Ting has been a visiting researcher at the Faculty of Law of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and at the Centre of Energy Law and Sustainability of the University of University of Groningen. These experiences broadened the comparative and transnational dimensions of her work. Earlier in her career, during her master’s studies, she was actively involved in national research projects funded in China, contributing to policy-relevant legal research on environmental and regulatory issues.
Her PhD research focuses on how the law on electricity demand-side management (DSM) can adapt electricity consumption to facilitate the system integration and use of RES-E. Through DSM measures, energy consumers could be empowered to provide demand flexibility – crucial for integrating variable renewables – and to increase the share of renewables by purchasing RES-E or engaging in renewables generation. Focusing on EU law on electricity DSM, her dissertation analyzes key elements of a legal framework for leveraging DSM to promote RES-E and explores typical legal challenges associated with empowering and enabling energy consumers to provide flexibility and use RES-E. Through normative analysis and research on the implementation of the law, her work also indicates the potential room for improving the existing EU legal framework for electricity DSM. With the identified gaps, drawing on the CJEU’s jurisprudence and existing academic debate, the research further explores potential solutions, lessons and implications.
Ting’s scholarly output during the PhD period further reinforces this research agenda. Her journal articles, co-authored with her main supervisor, have been published in leading international journals and address topics closely connected to the broader area of energy consumer empowerment in the context of promoting renewable electricity. These works examine legal issues surrounding market access for independent flexibility service providers, the market compatibility of Union-level renewables promotional law, the development of local electricity markets, and regulatory challenges related to energy sharing within energy communities.
