Jan Šefránek named new chairman of Czech Energy Regulatory Office board; Trávníček to remain member

Current Energy Regulatory Office (ERÚ) board member Jan Šefránek has been appointed its new chairman. The current board chairman, Stanislav Trávníček, will remain an ordinary member of the board. The government appointed them to their positions on Wednesday. The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MPO) told the Czech News Agency (ČTK) today.

Trávníček has chaired the board since August 2019. His current five-year term ends at the end of this year. The MPO therefore announced a selection process in the autumn to fill a vacancy on the board. According to the ministry, seven candidates applied.

“The selection committee recommended the current chairman, Stanislav Trávníček, for the position of board member. At the same time, a board chairman had to be appointed, and Minister Lukáš Vlček nominated current member Jan Šefránek for the position. The government approved both changes,” Petra Milcová from the MPO press department told ČTK.

Šefránek has worked at the ERÚ for more than 15 years and became a board member this August. Until then, he was director of the Regulatory Activities and International Cooperation Section. He has held various positions at the office, including heading the Strategy and Innovation, Science and Research Department, as well as the Statistics and Quality Monitoring Department. He will now chair the five-member board.

The board returned to five members this summer, after having fewer than five for more than a year and a half. Alongside Šefránek, former Minister of Industry and Trade Tomáš Hüner also became a new board member in August. The other members, besides Stanislav Trávníček, are Markéta Zemanová and Martina Krčová.

The government appoints and dismisses board members and the chairman on the recommendation of the Minister of Industry and Trade. Individual board members are responsible for the office’s assigned areas of work. The ERÚ’s remit includes regulating electricity, gas and heat prices, promoting competition in the energy sectors, overseeing energy markets and protecting customers’ legitimate interests.