Our Work

Building climate leadership in Central and Eastern Europe

Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has a critical role to play in securing Europe’s climate-neutral future and the opportunity to become an innovation catalyst for the continent’s energy transition.

CATF seeks to build a robust, durable policy landscape that enjoys broad political support in the CEE region and provides a resilient pathway to decarbonisation.

Our approach

Central and Eastern Europe’s energy transition, while fraught with compound socio-economic challenges, offers growth opportunities that should be properly evaluated and utilised. The region is facing a myriad of challenges, including overreliance on coal, relatively slow renewable deployment, aging infrastructure, and fiscal constraints that need to be tackled with the following principles in mind:

A systems perspective: Climate action cannot be an isolated focus; it must be integrated with energy and economic security, a just transition, and should be contemplated within the wider political economy and geopolitical context.
An options-based strategy: Energy transition challenges in Central and Eastern Europe necessitate the development of climate policies that incorporate broad solutions options and enable each country in the region to deploy solutions that suits its individual resource endowments and economies.
An innovation-driven and cost-efficient transition: The energy transition should be underpinned by durable policies that enjoy broad political support and make the region appealing for long-term investments and continuous innovation, while delivering on energy and economic security.

CATF in Central and Eastern Europe

The region’s strategic importance for Europe’s energy security and innovation potential provides a clear opportunity to cultivate and leverage its leadership. CATF works in the CEE region to advance climate solutions tailored to each country’s resource endowments, foster cross-regional partnerships, and develop country-specific analysis to inform local decision-making.

Clean Air Task Force CEE Fellowship

Empowering energy and climate leaders of tomorrow

This transformative eight-week program is for early-career professionals committed to tackling the complex challenges of the energy transition in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Up to eight fellows will collaborate with Clean Air Task Force (CATF) experts, engage in rigorous learning sessions, and will have an opportunity to get connected with peers and key stakeholders in the energy and climate space.

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CEETalks: Building Resilient Climate Solutions in Central and Eastern Europe

The potential of Central and Eastern Europe is often overlooked. While the region still has work to do to reduce its emission intensity, it offers real opportunities to become a key voice of the continent’s energy transition. Watch the webinar recordings below to explore this potential with leading experts and how the region can charter a path toward resilient decarbonisation and energy and economic security.