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The European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete, and the Chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán, have today inaugurated the European Energy Policy Lectureship at the Colegio de Europa, which as from this academic year will be called the Iberdrola Manuel Marín Lectureship.

In order to launch this lectureship, a conference was held this afternoon in the House of European History in Brussels entitled Energy decarbonisation: lessons from history and policies for the future", during which Arias Cañete and Galán discussed the commitment of the Old Continent in the fight against climate change.

Ignacio Galán pointed out that achieving a net emissions economy in Europe will allow the creation of great benefits for all citizens, not just environmental, but also economic and social. The technology necessary to achieve it exists, he said, but it´s essential to act right from today, and for all players and sectors to get involved, taking measurements and checking on everyone´s efforts.

The aim of this lectureship is to teach, research and discuss the energy policies of the European Union. The activities promoted include teaching of all the subjects related to energy policy; organising high-level conferences with key players in the energy policy legislative process, as well as seminars and workshops; encouraging research work and, finally, fostering relations between European institutions and leading associations in the sector.

This initiative is part of the Iberdrola Talent programme. Through it the company maintains a close relationship with the academic world to foster the training and specialisation of young students and to enhance their employability. Over the last 5 years, Iberdrola has contributed to the training of almost 4,000 university students.

The Colegio de Europa played an important part in the life of Manuel Marín, who headed the Iberdrola Foundation Spain for over a decade, between 2008 and 2018. In fact, he won his first scholarship there and formed part of one of the first graduating classes of Spanish students, in 1973. He later became a lecturer and president of its Board of Directors, between 1990 and 1996.

Consequently, and by way of acknowledging his outstanding role in the construction of Europe, with achievements as important as the launch of the Erasmus student exchange programme, the Colegio de Europa has today announced that the 2018-2019 graduate year will bear the name of Manuel Marín.

Galán concluded his speech by dedicating a few words to Marín, with whom he shared an enduring friendship. As well as highlighting his strong beliefs and values, the Chairman of Iberdrola underlined how, under his leadership, the Iberdrola Foundation Spain became a leading institution in the country, winning recognition and having a social impact.

About Iberdrola

Iberdrola is a global energy leader, the number one producer of wind power, and one of the world’s biggest electricity utilities by market capitalisation. The group is present in numerous countries and supplies energy to over 100 million people mainly in Spain, the United Kingdom (Scottish Power), the USA (AVANGRID), Brazil (Neoenergia) and Mexico. With a workforce of 34,000 and assets in excess of €110 billion, it posted revenues of over €31.263 billion and a net profit of €2.804 billion in 2017.

Iberdrola is leading the transition towards a sustainable energy model through investments in renewable energy, smart grids, large-scale energy storage and digital transformation, offering the most advanced products and services to its customers. Thanks to its commitment to clean energy, Iberdrola is one of the companies with the lowest emissions and an international benchmark for its contribution to the fight against climate change and for sustainability.