Energy Policy

The collaboration between Bulgaria and Greece on energy-related projects has recently gained a lot of attention both at the national and EU levels. The two countries are exploring possibilities for mitigating the unprecedented energy price crisis and the threats for energy security stemming from Russia’s invasion in Ukraine.  

The comparative study of the different stages of community energy development in four European countries was the subject of a lively and insightful conversation jointly organized in Athens early in May by the Heinrich Böll Stiftung Offices of Thessaloniki, Warsaw and Belgrade. Titled “Community energy law in Greece, Serbia, Poland and Bulgaria; Stock taking and bottlenecks”, the event was part of the three-day Community Energy Spring Gathering

A timely retrospect on energy poverty in Greece, the effects it has on the daily lives of citizens and how it has emerged as an important pillar in our work on energy democracy. This article, by Kyriaki Metaxa, Coordinator of the Ecology Programme at Heinrich Böll Foundation Thessaloniki - Greece, was first published in the Slovak independent magazine “Kapital” on 20 April 2023.

The situation in the energy sector has led to national strategies that often conflict with the policies of neighbours and allies, and at the same time to a significant move away from clean energy sources. In other words, we have a "dirty nationalism", as this article explains, published very recently on the website "Energy Transition. The Global Energiewende".

The online event "Discussing the energy market and the energy crisis in simple terms. How can consumers be protected?" took place on the 14th of April 2022, with great public participation.

The prospect of a green hydrogen economy comes with significant opportunities and risks. There is a need to both promote and carefully shape the much needed expansion of production, while limiting the end use of green hydrogen.

The EU and Germany aim to be climate neutral by 2050 and 2045, respectively. The commitment to climate neutrality means that zero-emission alternatives will replace emissions-intensive processes and products. One energy alternative is climate-friendly hydrogen. However, hydrogen is not an all-purpose miracle that solves everything at once. It is far too expensive and cumbersome to produce for that. In most cases, it is cheaper and more sensible to use ordinary electricity.

This article analyses the various scenarios examined for district heating systems in regions of Western Macedonia, the hypotheses made, the recommendations and the conclusions obtained.