In terms of bilateral co-operation, ERSE receives various requests throughout the year from regulators in other countries, academic institutions and ministries, among other entities.

These requests can take several forms:

•  Institutional meetings with the Board of Directors;
• Organisation of conferences or other events dedicated to the energy sector;
• Capacity building and technical training; or
• Hosting and training of delegations under other programmes, such as the European Commission's Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Instrument (TAIEX).

As a rule, these different formats all have a similar aim, to exchange knowledge. ERSE has the opportunity to present its practices, the European regulatory model, the functioning of the Portuguese energy market and its supervision of the national oil system, among others.

ERSE's International Relations Office is responsible for coordinating these activities, responding positively whenever there is availability for the proposed dates and the topic falls within the regulator's remit.

More than half of the bilateral interactions with ERSE have taken place in Portuguese, either with Brazil or with Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP), because of our shared cultural heritage and because we are a gateway to the European regulatory model, with the possibility of working in Portuguese.

In second place, are the Mediterranean countries.

The multilateral forums that ERSE is a part of, in particular RELOP and MEDREG, are a first bridge for relations, giving rise to various bilateral initiatives.