​​​​​​Our perspective is European. Our overall purpose is to achieve a transition of the European energy system in line with political objectives set, reaping benefits of increased energy market integration across Europe, and securing low-carbon supply at least possible cost for European businesses and citizens.​

​ACER fosters a fully integrated and well-functioning Inter​na​l Energy Market, where electricity and gas are traded and supplied according to the highest integrity and transparency standards, so that EU consumers can benefit from a wider choice, fair prices and greater protection.

To achieve this, we work closely with the European Institutions, National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs), national governments and market players.

Over time, the Agency received additional tasks and responsibilities to better pursue the integration of the European internal energy market. With the latest provisions adopted in the Clean Energ​y Package​ (2019), the Agency has also further strengthened its responsibilities on the coordination with NRAs and cross-border cooperation.​

The Agency has seven Departments:

• Electricity

• Energy System Needs

• Gas, Hydrogen and Retail

• Market Information and Transparency

• Market Surveillance and Conduct

• REMIT Investigations

• Coordination, Operations and Legal

ACER’s Strategy Delivery & Communications team and the Human Resources and Facilities team report directly to the ACER Director and play a central role in providing key support functions to the whole Agency in fulfilling its mandate, objectives and goals.

ACER’s surveillance activities contribute to causing deterrence against market abuse at European level. ACER’s efforts in creating deterrence are reinforced by the community of surveillance experts across Europe. 

Specifically, ACER cooperates with surveillance experts from NRAs, energy exchanges, brokers, and financial authorities, in the effort of raising awareness about insider trading and market manipulation. This aims to ultimately contribute to the deterrence of market abuse. In addition, ACER discusses surveillance topics in ​​Roundtable meetings with ACER’s stakeholders.

For further details on the venues used for ACER’s cooperation with surveillance experts and discussion of surveillance topics, consult our section on cooperation​.

On a more global level, ACER also collaborates with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Meetings with FERC are organised on an annual basis in order to discuss and exchange ideas on surveillance topics affecting both US and EU markets.

ACER notifies the National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) of suspicious behaviour in two main ways:

• by sharing the screened alerts on a monthly basis; and

• by sharing an Initial Assessment report, which includes details about the suspicious behaviour by one or more market participants. 

The first figure provides a rounded monthly average of the alerts triggered (in thousands) manually assessed (in hundreds), and shared with the NRAs for the years 2017 and 2023. 

Note: the monthly average is calculated taking into account only the months for which alerts were shared with the NRAs.

The second figure provides an overview of the number of Initial Assessment reports shared with NRAs (in total per year since 2015).

The map provides an overview of the number of alerts shared per country for the year 2023.

Looking at the total records reported to ACER since the beginning of data reporting​, the alerts statistics indicate the amount of resources required in order to assess the REMIT data.​

ACER uses a holistic approach to detect potential suspicious behaviour. 

The different kinds of suspicious behaviour presented in ACER's Guidance Notes are translated into logic that creates bespoke alerts. 

A surveillance tool, tailor-made for EU wholesale energy markets, is used to construct, trigger, prioritise and screen the alerts.

The detection of suspicious behaviour happens on two levels:

• the first level of detection already happens when the alerts are triggered, as they automatically screen the REMIT data and trigger when they detect instances of behaviour that meet the alert logic and parameters.

• The second level happens when the surveillance analysts screen the triggered alerts and assess the gravity of the suspicious behaviour.

ACER aims to revise the alert logic and parameters on a regular basis to enhance their effectiveness and efficiency, and to make sure they are adjusted to the latest market developments. 

ACER always keeps an eye out for potential data quality issues and acts appropriately to resolve them. ​​

​​ACER is committed to ensuring high-quality transaction and fundamental data reporting, and will continue to devote specialist supervisory efforts to this endeavour to further advance its market monitoring capabilities.

As part of its data quality framework, ACER assesses and ensures the data received under REMIT and the Implementing Regulation are complete, accurate and timely. These data quality assessments are performed regularly on different data sets, covering transactions executed either at different organised market places or bilaterally.​

The REMIT data quality assurance is based on a two-stage approach​.

ACER is mandated by RE​MIT​ to monitor the trading activity of wholesale energy products to detect and prevent market manipulation and trading based on inside information. ACER also collects data to assess and monitor the wholesale energy markets.

The European Commission's Implementing Regulation (2014), provide specifications on how ACER should collect the data, the data reporting obligations, as well as the timeline of implementation.

At ACER, the data collection process is managed by the Market Information and Transparency (MIT) department, and is based on five pillars:

• Registration of market participants 

• Registration of reporting parties 

• Data reporting management 

• Data quality analysis of collected data 

• Inside Information collection and disclosure 
   

​​​​​ACER is committed to establishing and maintaining a strong working relationship with European academics and researchers. 

Collaboration with academia is necessary in preparing ACER for future challenges and opportunities created by advances in science and technology.​

​​​​ACER can set up expert groups to provide ad hoc support and advice on REMIT topics.

In appointing the expert groups' members, ACER seeks to ensure a balanced representation of market participants, organised markets and other persons professionally arranging transactions, users and distributors of wholesale energy market information (e.g. information providers, analysts), and ENTSOs.​

On 1 December 2022, a call was launched for an expert group on LNG price assessment/benchmarks. This expert group will provide advice and contribute to ACER’s new tasks related to LNG price assessment and/or benchmarks.

On 23 October 2023, a call was launched for two new REMIT expert groups. One expert group on wholesale energy market integrity and transparency and one expert group on wholesale energy market data reporting. These expert groups will advise and contribute to ACER’s work on issues related to REMIT surveillance, conduct, integrity, and transparency and REMIT data reporting.

The groups meet on an ad hoc basis, at least twice per year.​