Russia will remain a major supplier of energy resources (oil, natural gas) to Central Europe for many years to come. Their current efforts to rebuild supply include importing natural gas rather than crude oil. This situation is due, among other things, to the nature of the market, its high degree of politicization and the form of distribution (gas pipelines). Central European countries are first and foremost taking steps to reduce emissions of harmful substances (CO2), and only after that they will see their actions as a tool to reduce Russia’s influence in the region (reducing liquid fuel and natural gas consumption). The formulated energy targets should ultimately change the structure of power generation, which in the long term will indirectly reduce Russia’s importance in the energy policies of countries in the region (e.g. liquid fuel consumption in transport lead to a decrease in transport. Among the Central European countries, no country is “perfectly” safe (in terms of oil and natural gas supplies), but Croatia and Slovenia are, given the nature and specificity of their energy markets. On the other hand, the countries of the Visegrad Group and Slovakia in particular are among the countries most threatened by Russia’s energy dominance or possible energy influence. The Baltic states – also thanks to the development of energy infrastructure in recent years – are increasingly able to oppose Russia’s position in the region (mainly in terms of natural gas supplies). Stability, clarity and transparency of the activities carried out are valid to ensuring the energy security of Central European countries. For countries in the region, strategies to reduce their dependence on energy sources from Russia are the result of many internal and external factors, the effectiveness of which also depends on regional energy cooperation.
We kindly invite you to read the newest IEŚ Working Paper 5/2022 Big Brother persists: efforts of Central European countries towards reducing energy supply dependency on Russia.