Croatia’s Energy and Climate Security Policies: What Linkages with the EU’s Energy and Climate Package?

With large energy projects in the pipeline Croatia is re-emerging again on the regional energy landscape as a country that aims to increase its energy security, albeit to the detriment of climate change. Croatia is fast becoming a key transit region for most of the projected oil and gas pipelines (PEOP, South Stream, LNG terminals on the Adriatic, Druzba Adria, etc.) and the domestic debates surrounding the ‘national energy strategy’ are primarily focusing on coal or a nuclear renaissance.  Energy efficiency standards and the increased use of renewable energy continues to be lacking.

In this context, this event aims to, on the one hand, identify Croatia’s role as an oil and gas transit region for the European Union while, on the other, discuss the leverage the EU could have over Croatia in promoting climate security policies or strengthening best-practice sharing. Can accession talks and the EU’s climate and energy package be combined? And if so, how? 

Discussant:
Vjeran Pir¨ic, Eko Kvarner NGO

Chair:
Claude Weinber, Director EU Regional Office Heinrich Böll Foundation, Brussels