CESEC 2.0: Opening the door to a new level of regional cooperation. CEPS Policy Insight No 2017-35/September 2017

The Central and South-Eastern Europe Gas Connectivity (CESEC) initiative brings together EU and non-EU countries under a single regional framework promoting energy policy cooperation. All states in the region share common challenges in the areas of energy security and energy market development that can best be addressed via a joint regional approach. To date, the initiative has been a major political success for all those participating – the European Commission, the member states and the Energy Community contracting parties – which together have taken ambitious steps towards the creation of a regional energy security framework on the back of a regional energy market. Essential elements include the high-level political commitment, the prioritisation of a limited number of key infrastructure projects and the smart mobilisation of available EU funding. These accomplishments are relevant for the successful implementation of the initiative’s next phase, CESEC 2.0, which will see its extension to electricity markets, renewables and energy efficiency, for which the high-level meeting in Bucharest on 27-28 September 2017 is expected to lead the way

An innovation policy to meet the EU’s Green Deal Circular Economy goals. CEPS Policy Insights 25 Sep 2020.

The shift towards a circular economy requires considerable political will. Fortunately, both the national and EU Covid-19 recovery packages offer a way to accelerate this shift. A dynamic and coordinated circular economy research and innovation approach across EU member states will form one pillar of this transition. Technical and societal challenges also demand economies of scale and impact. It is the mission of the Circular Economy Platform for the European Priorities Strategic Agenda (CICERONE) H2020 project to propose solutions to all these challenges

Channelling Progress in Central and South East European Energy Market Integration. CEPS Policy Insights No 2017/11, March 2017

The Central and South Eastern Europe Gas Connectivity (CESEC) is a major political success for the European Commission and the member states in their bid to integrate Central and South East European (C&SEE) energy systems. CESEC has already made a significant contribution to strengthening the regional and wider European energy security

Comparative study on the governance structure and energy policies in EU macro-regional strategies. CEPS Research Report No. 2019/02, July 2019

Macro-regional strategies (MRS) are EU initiatives to create multi-country coordination structures to strengthen joint collaboration on common challenges by participating countries and regional authorities. While their establishment was top down, these initiatives and their work plans are expected to be driven increasingly by a more bottom-up approach. To understand some of these challenges, this study focuses on the similarities and differences in the governance structures of the macro-strategies and, more specifically, their contribution to the implementation of the Energy Union, while keeping an eye on the potential role that these initiatives might have after 2020. Among its findings, this study reveals that the application of the new MRS concept to the already existing advanced set of funding policies by the EU is not fully well-suited. Yet, the MRS could play an important role in the implementation of the Energy Union. Macro-regional strategies being highly heterogeneous, local authorities need to engage more actively with their government to ensure the MRS approach is given the right relevance in the national strategies

Improving Cooperation among EU Member States in Handling Electricity Crises: Lessons for the Regulation on risk-preparedness. CEPS Policy Insights No. 2017-25, July 2017

As part of the “Clean Energy for All Europeans” package, the European Commission has proposed a Regulation on risk-preparedness in the electricity sector that aims to improve cooperation among member states in preventing, preparing for and managing electricity crises. To reap the benefits of improved cooperation compared with the current diverging national approaches, the proposal foresees, inter alia, national risk-preparedness plans, a number of principles for crisis management and ex post crisis evaluation. This Policy Insight analyses the proposal and confronts it with a case study about a recent crisis in South East Europe (in January 2017). Among other conclusions, the findings suggest that the Regulation’s provisions for clear rules and national/regional procedures for crisis management and for evaluating crisis management ex post (i.e. whether the rules were followed) are appropriate, but they may need strengthening

Simulating an improved algorithm for propagation of transverse oscillations through a string

In present paper we bring under discussion a mathematical algorithm for determining oscillations through an elastic string. We have noticed that the algorithm has a flaw which can be solved by introducing an approximation into the system. For improved algorithm we have developed a program in order to obtain a simulator for propagation of transverse oscillations through a string, which allow us to obtain graphical representations for n-order harmonics

Why are green fiscal policies such a small part of green economic policies? Evidence from three European countries

One of the fundamental causes of environmental and resource use problems are unpriced scarcity and perverse subsidies. The logical solution seems to be to correct perverse subsidies and to price goods that were unpriced through taxes or otherwise. These measures would also improve the government budget that may be used to reduce distorting taxes and invest in the green economy or for social purposes. In practice the adjustment process of taxes and subsidies is very slow, while at the same time a large number of policies for greening the economy would have been much cheaper and more effective if prices were right. Why is there so much resistance to do what seems to be logical from an economic point of view? This chapter attempts to answer these questions by analysing green taxation policies and discussions in the Netherlands, Germany and the UK as well as by comparing the dynamics in these countries. One conclusion is that we have to be very careful with indicators like the share of environmental taxes in the GDP, because classification is not consistent and because the taxes may not give incentives for greening the economy. In all three countries, the tax on energy has many exemptions that are sometimes used as a reward for making green agreements with governments. Third, coal in electricity production kept its privileges in Germany and the Netherlands in exchange for an agreement, while the UK introduced carbon taxes for coal, in practice forcing companies to close down coal-based electricity production. International competiveness, distributional issues and fear for stranded assets seem to be the main drivers against the consistent use of green taxation. Other issues are the administrative burden, enforcement problems and perception on the effectiveness of taxes. In cases where environmental taxes are explicitly related to labour tax reductions, people are generally not aware of this. In many cases the environmental taxes are relatively complex, such as for example in the UK where it is almost impossible to calculate the final tax people pay on energy use. Designing a lucid and consistent tax system is therefore crucial. A large number of exemptions does not fit into this. The European Emission trading scheme (ETS) creates an extra problem for green taxation, because a reduction in pollution in one country will be offset by more pollution in another country, except when the excess quota is taken out of the market