Political Economy of Energy Transitions in Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

The region of Central and Eastern Europe is understood here broadly as including eleven ´new´ EU members (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia) together with the Balkan and ex-Soviet countries. The CEE region has been the subject of much debate in the context of low-carbon energy transitions. Although commonly considered as laggards when it comes to the decarbonization of the energy sector, the CEE countries are undergoing significant changes marked by competing claims and narratives on the future energy mix and ownership structure in the energy sector. The panel explores recent developments across different dimensions of energy transitions in CEE countries focusing on the interplay between political and economic institutions and actors at local, regional, national, supranational and global level.