RGI welcomes two new Board Members: Bernard de Clercq (Elia Group) and Francisco Ferreira (Zero)

Bernard de Clercq, Group Head EU Affairs at Elia Group

Born in Ghent on March 11th 1984, and fluent in Dutch, English, French and German, Bernard De Clercq is an expert in European electricity policy. He holds a degree in applied economical sciences and a master in international relations and diplomacy and has fulfilled temporary assignments for the European Commission and the Belgian federal ministry of foreign affairs, in the period of the Belgian European presidency in 2010. At Elia Group, Bernard has worked in the department Public and Regulatory affairs of Elia Belgium, and has since January 1st 2021 taken the responsibility of the Group European Affairs department.

Francisco Ferreira, President of ZERO

Francisco Ferreira is an Associate Professor with the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering of the NOVA School of Science and Technology (FCT NOVA) and a researcher in CENSE – Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research. He holds a degree in Environmental Engineering from FCT NOVA, a master’s degree from Virginia Tech, USA and a PhD from NOVA Lisboa. He has been developing work in the areas of air pollution, climate change, and sustainable development. He was President of Quercus, a national environmental non-governmental organisation (NGO) from 1996 to 2001 and Vice-President between 2007 and 2011. He was a member of the National Water Council and of the National Council for Environment and Sustainable Development. He has been President of ZERO – Association for the Sustainability of the Earth System, a national environmental NGO, since 2016.