Energy policy in Eastern Europe: A research report

A significant amount of research has examined the various development paths and transformation models of the post-socialist states. The literature in the fields of economics and political science frequently singles out the energy sector in order to identify the main trends of the transformation process. This article discusses the findings of analyses of energy policy and the energy economy in East-Central Europe and Russia, and of studies of the effects of EU accession on the energy sector. The main issues examined are the heavy burden placed on the environment by the energy sector and the low level of energy efficiency.