Strengthening Ownership of Climate Policy in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)

One of the biggest obstacles to a successful green energy transition in Central and Eastern Europe is a fundamental lack of support from all sides for an ambitious climate policy. The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria are still largely reliant on fossil fuels, often without a credible scenario for the transition. Energy efficiency, the use of renewable energies, the development of strategic and legislative climate frameworks and policies, and public ownership of a green transition at the national level are not sufficiently developed.  

However, the EU’s Fit for 55 package, the REPowerEU Plan, the revision of the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) and the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs) offer these countries genuine opportunities for change, as these policies must be implemented at the national level in every EU Member State.

With tailored publications, outreach events, direct communication and networking, the project partners, led by the Czech NGO Centre for Transport and Energy, targeted key CEE policy and decision makers. The project team raised awareness among government officials, members of national parliaments and the European Parliament, representatives of local authorities and others of key climate policy issues and mechanisms such as the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and the Social Climate Fund (SCF).

In workshops with representatives of the private sector, science, academia and others, climate-related policy recommendations were developed and then communicated to policy makers via roundtable discussions, publications and media outputs. These recommendations also took into account the many EU funding opportunities available for a green transition, including the Cohesion Fund and the Resilience and Recovery Facility.

The project team built civil society representatives’ climate policy-related capacities and fostered dialogue between policy makers and civil society. This enhanced civic participation and transparency regarding the implementation of climate policies, especially the revision of key strategic documents such as the NECPs.

The project partners highlighted specific challenges for CEE countries that should be considered in any newly proposed European legislation relating to the Fit for 55 package and the 2040 climate targets.

• The recommendations drawn up by the project consortium and civil society contributed directly to improvements to the Czech NECP: thanks to sustained public pressure, a second consultation was held, as required by the Governance Regulation. The joint proposals from non-governmental organisations, which were sent to the Ministries of the Environment and of Industry and Trade, were either incorporated into the final document or addressed in other, accompanying legislation. Specifically, for example, social impact assessments were included in the final version, and legally binding support areas for wind power and large-scale solar installations were introduced.
• The Slovak project partner, Klima Fokus, secured the right to official consultations. It achieved this through close cooperation with the national coordinating body and several submissions to the legislature, which were backed by over 500 signatures. Furthermore, civil society was more closely involved in the planning of designated areas for renewable energy in Slovakia. This had a direct impact on the method used to select suitable sites for wind power.
• The project has established sustainable ways of incorporating climate science into politics and public debates in Central and Eastern Europe. Politically, a regular exchange was established between climate and energy experts from the region and a group of Members of the European Parliament from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland – across party lines. The main focus was on how EU climate policy can be effectively implemented at local level, including concrete policy recommendations. At the same time, the project brought the economic and social arguments for climate protection into national debates: More than 60 press releases, opinion pieces and articles attracted the interest of leading Czech media outlets such as Czech Radio, Hospodářské noviny and Euractiv.cz – thus bringing the economic rationale for decarbonisation into the public debate.