Abstract
Energy transition is currently the driver of formulating policies and explaining the needs caused by climate change. Utilising the concept of the Regional Security Complex, this chapter analyses the position of Visegrad Group countries in energy transition. We critically examine the transitional interplay between the European Union (hence Europeanisation of the energy policy) and the Visegrad Group, pinpointing energy security as the key variable in divergent perceptions between these two actors. The chapter outlines the geopolitical aspects that may potentially de-incentivise energy transition in this region. The main geopolitical issue analysed in this chapter is the North–South gas corridor and the possibility of a gas hub in the Visegrad Group region, which particularly connotes the (energy) security significance for this region.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agora Energiewende. (2019). European Energy Transition 2030: The Big Picture. Ten Priorities for the Next European Commission to Meet the EU’s 2030 Targets and Accelerate Towards 2050. https://www.agora-energiewende.de/fileadmin2/Projekte/2017/Big_Picture/134_Big-Picture_EN_WEB.pdf. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Andersen, S. S., Goldthau, A., & Sitter, N. (2017). From Low to High Politics? The EU’s Regulatory and Economic Power. In S. S. Andersen, A. Goldthau, & N. Sitter (Eds.), Energy Union: Europe’s New Liberal Mercantilism? (pp. 13–26). London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Blazquez, J., Fuentes-Bracamontes, R., & Manzano, B. (2019). A Road Map to Navigate the Energy Transition. Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.
Buzan, B. (2003). Regional Security Complex Theory in the Post-Cold War World. In F. Söderbaum & T. M. Shaw (Eds.), Theories of New Regionalism (pp. 140–159). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Buzan, B., & Wæver, O. (2003). Regions and Powers: The Structure of International Security. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Cherp, A., Adenikinju, A., Goldthau, A., Hernandez, F., Hughes, L., Jewell, J., et al. (2012). Energy and Security. In T. B. Johansson, N. Nakicenovic, & A. Patwardan (Ed.), Global Energy Assessment: Toward a Sustainable Future (pp. 325–383). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Directorate-General for Energy. (2019a). Quarterly Report on European Electricity Markets. https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/quarterly_report_on_european_electricity_markets_q_3_2019.pdf. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Directorate-General for Energy. (2019b). Quarterly Report on European Gas Markets. https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/quarterly_report_on_european_gas_markets_q3_2019.pdf. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Enerdata. (2020). Global Energy Statistical Yearbook 2019. https://yearbook.enerdata.net. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Esser, S., Schwartzkopff, J., & Schulz, S. (2017). Climate & Energy Snapshot: Slovakia; The Political Economy of the Low-carbon Transition. London: E3G.
European Commission. (2010). Energy 2020: A Strategy for Competitive, Sustainable and Secure Energy (COM/2010/639 final). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52010DC0639&from=EN. Accessed 2 June 2020.
European Commission. (2012). Energy Roadmap 2050. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
European Commission. (2014). A Policy Framework for Climate and Energy in the Period from 2020 to 2030 (COM/2014/015 final). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52014DC0015&from=EN. Accessed 2 June 2020.
European Commission. (2015). A Framework Strategy for a Resilient Energy Union with a Forward-Looking Climate Change Policy (COM/2015/080 final). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:1bd46c90-bdd4-11e4-bbe1-01aa75ed71a1.0001.03/DOC_1&format=PDF. Accessed 2 June 2020.
European Commission. (2019a). Annex to Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1391/2013 amending Regulation (EU) No 347/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the Union list of projects of common interest (SWD/2019/395 final). https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/eu-us_lng_trade_folder.pdf. Accessed 2 June 2020.
European Commission. (2019b). Clean Energy for All Europeans. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
European Commission. (2019c). EU Energy in Figures: Statistical Pocketbook 2019. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
European Commission. (2019d). EU–US LNG Trade: US Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Has the Potential to Help Match EU Gas Needs. http://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/eu-us_lng_trade_folder.pdf. Accessed 2 June 2020.
European Commission. (2019e). The European Green Deal (COM/2019/640 final). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:b828d165-1c22-11ea-8c1f-01aa75ed71a1.0002.02/DOC_1&format=PDF. Accessed 2 June 2020.
European Commission Joint Research Centre. (2018). EU Coal Regions: Opportunities and Challenges Ahead. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
European Parliament and Council of the European Union. (2018a). Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources. Official Journal of the European Union. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
European Parliament and Council of the European Union. (2018b). Directive (EU) 2018/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 amending Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency. Official Journal of the European Union. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
European Parliament and Council of the European Union. (2018c). Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action. Official Journal of the European Union. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
Eurostat. (2019a). EU Imports of Energy Products—Recent Developments. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/EU_imports_of_energy_products_-_recent_developments. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Eurostat. (2019b). Renewable Energy Statistics. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Renewable_energy_statistics. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Eurostat. (2020). Energy Database. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/energy/data/database. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Fischer, S. (2016). Nord Stream 2: Trust in Europe. Policy Perspectives, 4(4), 1–4.
IEA. (2019). Multiple Benefits of Energy Efficiency. https://www.iea.org/reports/multiple-benefits-of-energy-efficiency. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Geels, F. W. (2005). Co-evolution of Technology and Society: The Transition in Water Supply and Personal Hygiene in the Netherlands (1850–1930)—A Case Study in Multi-Level Perspective. Technology in Society, 27, 363–397.
Geels, F. W., & Schot, J. (2007). Typology of Sociotechnical Transition Pathway. Research Policy, 36(3), 399–417.
Giannelli, E. (2019). Turning a Blind Eye: Natural Gas Is a Blindspot in EU National Plans. https://www.e3g.org/library/turning-a-blind-eye-natural-gas-blindspot-eu-NECPs. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Goldthau, A., & Witte, J. M. (Ed.). (2010). Global Energy Governance: The New Rules of the Game. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.
Grigas, A. (2017). The New Geopolitics of Natural Gas. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Guzzini, S. (Ed.). (2012). The Return of Geopolitics in Europe? Social Mechanisms and Foreign Policy Identity Crises. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Holsti, K. J. (1970). National Role Conceptions in the Study of Foreign Policy. International Studies Quarterly, 14(3), 233–309.
Innovációs és Technológiai Minisztérium. (2019). Nemzeti Energia- és Klímaterv. https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/hu_final_necp_main_hu.pdf. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Korteweg, R. (2018). Energy as a tool of foreign policy of authoritarian states, in particular Russia (Study requested by the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs). https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/1c80b8c6-58b6-11e8-ab41-01aa75ed71a1/language-en. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Langvad, E. (2017). Hungary and the Czech Republic’s Approach to Gas Security. Budapest: Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Manners, I. (2002). Normative Power Europe: A Contradiction in Terms? Journal of Common Market Studies, 40(2), 235–258.
Matláry, H. J. (1997). Energy Policy in the European Union. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Ministerstvo hospodárstva Slovenskej republiky. (2019). Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan for 2021 to 2030. https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/sk_final_necp_main_en.pdf. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Ministerstvo průmyslu a obchodu České republiky. (2019). National Energy and Climate Plan of the Czech Republic. https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/cs_final_necp_main_en.pdf. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Ministerstwa Aktywów Państwowych. (2019). Krajowego planu na rzecz energii i klimatu na lata 2021–2030. https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/pl_final_necp_main_pl.pdf. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Neumann, I. B. (2003). A Region Building Approach. In F. Söderbaum & T. M. Shaw (Eds.), Theories of New Regionalism (pp. 160–179). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Nosko, A., & Mišík, M. (2017). No United Front: The Political Economy of Energy in Central and Eastern Europe. In S. S. Andersen, A. Goldthau, & N. Sitter (Eds.), Energy Union: Europe’s New Liberal Mercantilism? (pp. 201–222). London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Radaelli, C. M. (2006). Europeanisation: Solution or Problem? In M. Cini & A. K. Bourne (Eds.), Palgrave Advances in European Union Studies (pp. 56–77). London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Rekk. (2018). “Beyond Gas”—Energy Security Issues in the V4 After 2020. Association for International Affairs. http://www.amo.cz/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/V4-Beyond-Gas-Beyond-2020-Final-Synthesis-Report.pdf. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Riley, A. (2018). Nord Stream 2: Understanding the Potential Consequences. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Nord_Stream_2_interactive.pdf. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Rotmans, J., Kemp, R., van Asselt, M., Geels, F. W., Verbong, G., Molendijk, K., et al. (2001). Transitions & Transition Management: The Case for a Low Emission Energy Supply (ICIS working paper: I01-E001). Maastricht.
Schulz, S., Amon, A., Goritz, A., & Schwartzkopff, J. (2017). Climate & Energy Snapshot: Hungary; The Political Economy of the Low-Carbon Transition. London: E3G.
Schwartzkopff, J., & Schulz, S. (2017). Climate & Energy Snapshot: Poland; The Political Economy of the Low-Carbon Transition. London: E3G.
Schwartzkopff, J., Schulz, S., & Goritz, A. (2017). Climate & Energy Snapshot: Czech Republic; The Political Economy of the Low-Carbon Transition. London: E3G.
Simon, F. (2019). Cañete Sees Gas as “a Bridge” to Reach EU’s Clean Energy Goals. Euractiv. https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/news/canete-sees-gas-as-a-bridge-to-reach-eus-clean-energy-goals/. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Smil, V. (2016). Examining Energy Transitions: A Dozen Insights Based on Performance. Energy Research and Social Science, 22, 194–197.
Solorio, I. (2011). Bridging the Gap Between Environmental Policy Integration and the EU’s Energy Policy: Mapping out the “Green Europeanisation” of Energy Governance. Journal of Contemporary European Research, 7(3), 396–415.
Sovacool, B. K. (Ed.). (2010). The Routledge Handbook of Energy Security. London: Routledge.
Sovacool, B. K. (2016). How Long Will It Take? Conceptualizing the Temporal Dynamics of Energy Transitions. Energy Research and Social Science, 13, 202–215.
Sovacool, B. K., & Geels, F. W. (2016). Further Reflections on the Temporality of Energy Transitions: A Response to Critics. Energy Research and Social Science, 22, 232–237.
Szulecki, K. (Ed.). (2018). Energy Security in Europe: Divergent Perceptions and Policy Challenges. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Tagliapietra, S., Zachmann, G., Edenhofer, O., Galchant J., Linares, P., & Loeschel, A. (2019). The European Union Energy Transition: Key Priorities for the Next Five Years. Bruegel. https://bruegel.org/2019/07/the-european-union-energy-transition-key-priorities-for-the-next-five-years/. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Tews, K. (2015). Europeanization of Energy and Climate Policy. The Journal of Environment & Development, 24(3), 267–291.
Treaty Establishing the European Atomic Energy Community. (1957). Official Journal of the European Union. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:12012A/TXT&from=EN. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Treaty Establishing the European Coal and Steel Community. (1951). Official Journal of the European Union. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=LEGISSUM:xy0022&from=EN. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. (2007). Official Journal of the European Union. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:12012E/TXT&from=en. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Verbong, G., & Geels, F. W. (2007). The Ongoing Energy Transitions: Lessons from Socio-Technical, Multilevel Analysis of the Dutch Electricity System (1960–2004). Energy Policy, 35(2), 1025–1037.
Vihma, A., & Wigell, M. (2016). Unclear and Present Danger: Russia’s Geoeconomics and Nord Stream II Pipeline. Global Affairs, 2(4), 377–388.
Warsaw Institute. (2019). The End of the Yamal Contract: Poland’s Gas Sector to Enter a New Era. https://warsawinstitute.org/end-yamal-contract-polands-gas-sector-enter-new-era/. Accessed 2 June 2020.
Weldes, J. (1999). Constructing National Interests: The United States and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Wendt, A. (1992). Anarchy Is What States Make of It: The Social Construction of Power Politics. International Organization, 46(2), 39–425.
Yergin, D. (1988). Energy Security in the 1990s. Foreign Affairs, 67(1), 110–132.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under the contract No. APVV-16-0540.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Figulová, A., Wertlen, D. (2021). Between Energy Security and Energy Transition: Visegrad Gas Hub. In: Mišík, M., Oravcová, V. (eds) From Economic to Energy Transition. Energy, Climate and the Environment. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55085-1_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55085-1_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-55084-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-55085-1
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)