23 and 24 September 2026 in Cologne
The BDEW is hosting an exchange of experience for equal treatment officers – and we will be there. On 24 September 2026, attorney Kristina Konrad will give a practical talk on the importance of training on compliance and unbundling, a topic she is very familiar with from her many years of work as a compliance and unbundling officer.
Anyone working in the energy sector knows that the exchange of experience for unbundling officers is one of the most valuable formats for exchange in this field. This is where the latest information on regulatory developments and their practical implementation is shared first-hand, best practices are discussed and knowledge is exchanged. Kristina Konrad brings her experience as unbundling officer of what is now Hamburger Energienetze GmbH, now also from her new perspective as an attorney at Pragal Rechtsanwälte.
The importance of training in unbundling practice
The obligation to provide training is enshrined in law in unbundling compliance: under § 7a (5) EnWG (German Energy Industry Act), vertically integrated undertakings must establish an equal treatment programme with binding measures for the non-discriminatory operation of the network business and make its contents known not only to the regulatory authority but, above all, to their own employees.
Risk-appropriate training concepts are therefore not optional but an essential component of the compliance management system of the obligated companies. They ensure that employees are made sufficiently aware and thus form an important basis for discussion when resolving both strategic and operational unbundling issues. At the same time, training is a key element of appropriate compliance communication: it documents awareness of the relevant compliance issues and contributes directly to reducing risk and liability.
Personal exchange with colleagues from companies, the BDEW and the Federal Network Agency on current issues of unbundling under energy law makes it possible to better understand the regulator’s current expectations, to contribute jointly and directly to the interpretation of the unbundling provisions and to discuss and clarify priorities and FAQs for implementing the requirements and for preparing equal treatment reports.
We look forward to seeing you again and to a productive exchange in Cologne!
Programme and details
The full programme of the exchange of experience offers a comprehensive overview of current legal developments, input from the Federal Network Agency, best practices and discussions on challenges in current unbundling practice: https://www.essociation.de/event/erfahrungsaustausch-fuer-gleichbehandlungsbeauftragte
Our speaker
Kristina Konrad, attorney and salary partner at Pragal Rechtsanwälte, specialises in establishing and improving compliance structures and conducting internal investigations. She has more than 20 years of experience in in-house compliance, including in the energy sector, and is a Certified Compliance Officer (Univ.) and a Certified AI Compliance Officer (Bitkom). Her areas of focus include establishing and optimising compliance management systems (CMS), implementing unbundling requirements within equal treatment programmes, designing training as well as implementing regulatory standards in practice and conducting internal investigations in group structures and medium-sized companies.
→Registration: Exchange of Experience for Equal Treatment Officers 2026
