A Perfect Compliance? Nuclear Power in Central and Eastern European Countries and the EU Membership

The paper analyzes utilisation of nuclear energy within Central and Eastern European countries in the framework of their membership in the EU. Three of these member states (Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia) have agreed to shut down their nuclear reactors that did not fulfill the EU safety requirements during the accession process. Since this request was part of the membership requirements, conditionality seems to be able to explain the willingness of these three countries to significantly change their energy mixes. This, in turn, influenced also their energy policies and had even an impact on their energy security. However, while Bulgaria phased-off its reactors in Kozloduy already during the pre-accession process, a move that is in line with conditionality expectations, Lithuania and Slovakia did so only after they became full EU members in 2004. The puzzle this paper is trying to shed light on is why these countries fulfilled these (demanding and unpopular) obligations if EU conditionality was not in place anymore after Lithuania and Slovakia became full members. We examine this issue through the lens of post-accession compliance. The paper analyzes factors that could have contributed to the post-accession compliance of Lithuania and Slovakia in nuclear energy area and thus contributes to the general discussion about the activities of Central and Eastern European countries in the EU.