Accelerating the Energy Transformation of Central and Eastern Europe and Learning from the German Experience

Many Central and Eastern European (CEE) Member States of the European Union have been reluctant to commit to more ambitious EU climate goals because they emphasise the cost of climate action over the need and the benefits of a low-carbon transition.

Civil society action has been instrumental in increasing the ambition level in climate policy through publishing different studies, advocacy strategies for legislative action in individual CEE Member States, monitoring the implementation of EU climate and energy policies and engaging in successful legal action against coal power plants.

However, when compared with other regions, notable gaps exist in the organisation and influence of clean energy stakeholders in a number of CEE countries.

Post-industrial museum Zollverein in Bochum, Germany. Photo by Berber Verpoest, CC BY-SA 3.0

The partners strived to make the need for a low-carbon transition and its benefits more visible at all levels of decision-making and to gain commitment for a long-term solution of the issue in the CEE region. Specifically, the project has:

1. facilitated the information flow on energy transformation policies between the CEE region, Berlin and Brussels;
2. built national strategies and platforms to help accelerate the energy transformation in the CEE countries;
3. mapped opportunities for ‘just transition’ of mining regions in 5 CEE countries.

Collaboration between a CEE-based NGO network (Bankwatch), an environmental think tank (E3G) working on EU level, and a German NGO (DUH) ensured that all levels of expertise and the German experience with Energiewende were reflected in the process.

• Agenda-setting for the energy transition: Through around 160 events with over 2,000 participants and direct dialogue with 220 political decision-makers, the project significantly strengthened the visibility and credibility of climate protection-oriented organisations. The expertise provided and high-profile work meant that these stakeholders are now increasingly perceived as relevant contacts for the energy transition and play a key role in shaping the public debate on climate action and the coal phase-out in their countries. 
• Strengthened national task forces: On the initiative of the project, national task forces on the energy transition were established in Latvia and Slovakia. They consist of experts on renewable energies and coordinate the activities of civil society organisations in order to strengthen their influence on the social debate. The work of existing task forces in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria was also supported. The former member of the Latvian task force, Krišjānis Kariņš, became Prime Minister of Latvia in 2019 and was able to utilise the findings of the task force in this position. 
• Reorientation of mining regions supported: The creation of reorganisation plans in coal mining regions was supported in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Romania and Poland. In Upper Nitra (Slovakia) and the Czech regions of Stecky, Moravskoslezsky and Karlovsky, corresponding plans have now been adopted by the relevant authorities. 

External News

• Studienreise: Czechia: Good practices of transforming coal mining regions inspire in CEE (Englisch)
• Briefing: The European Commission’s platform for coal regions in transition (Englisch, PDF-Download)