At the Ministerial Session of the 31st Meeting of the Energy Charter Conference, the Vice-Chair has delivered the Energy Charter Award for 2020. 

Ms Carmen Sofía Sanz Estébanez was voted this year to be the recipient of the Award.

Ms Sanz Estébanez is currently working as the Head of Cabinet of the Secretary of State for Environment at the Ministry of Ecological Transition in Madrid. Ms Sanz Estébanez has been the personality inseparable from the Energy Charter Process since 2012 when she was appointed as a Spanish delegate. She was since participating at all Energy Charter Conferences and most of its Subsidiary Group Meetings.

Through her genuine professionalism, diplomatic skills and strong will she gradually became one of the most effective actors in the Energy Charter Process. Between 2015 and 2018 she was serving as the Vice-Chair and then until 2020 as the Chair of the Strategy Group, the Chair of the Subgroup for Modernization in 2018-2019 and the Chair of the Modernization Group in 2019-2020.

Her profound personal contribution and involvement were based on the strong commitment of Spain to the modernization of the Energy Charter Treaty.