Energy Forum 2025

Date and venue:

27 May 2025
Budapest Center of Matthias Corvinus Collegium (1113 Budapest, Tas vezér u. 3-7.)

 

The conference will be held in English.

 

The event is public, but registration is required.

Please register yourself by 23 May 2025 here:  
       
Registration    

 

Concept notes

Green transformation has been the calling word in the European energy sector for many years. Meanwhile the energy crisis, the Russian-Ukrainian war, and the confrontations and conflicts in the Middle and Far East have significantly changed the international environment in which energy policy decisions are made and implemented. The countries of Central and South-East Europe – including Hungary and other EU member states as well as Western Balkan countries aspiring for EU membership – are facing multiple challenges in ensuring a secure and affordable energy supply to meet the demand of their societies and economies and addressing environmental concerns at the same time.

Their choices have broader strategic relevance too. The EU integration of the Western Balkans – a region burdened with historical grievances – has security, economic and political significance for both Central and South-East Europe and for the EU in general. The political and economic stability of the neighbourhood depends largely on the vision and opportunities that international institutions, alliances and major powers in the region offer.

The one-day conference aims to provide an overview of how new energy diversification efforts, and the planning of new supply routes affect Central and South-East Europe, what new international cooperations are being outlined, and to what extent these will foster further the integration and closer cooperation in this region. The conference will explore the prospects of the region in four thematic panels and report on the opportunities of the area in the light of the new global and regional challenges. A separate panel will address the challenges related to the implementation of the European Green Deal and the clean energy transition, and the prospective role of different technologies and solutions in the region. Another panel will also shed light on the socio-economic and environmental impacts of the different energy strategies.

The ‘Energy Forum 2025: Shaping a Secure and Sustainable Energetic Future in Central and South-East Europe’ will bring together representatives of governments and state agencies, energy companies as well as experts and researchers from the countries of Central and South-East Europe to share their ideas on these very important issues that will largely influence the future of energy security and development in the region in the future.

Agenda

Registration and arrival of guests (8:30-9:00)

 

Welcome remarks (9:00-9:20)

Erik Molnár

General Director

Gnosis Institute

 

Dr. Mónika Besenyei

Director

Climate Policy Institute

Going green while baby drills (9:20 – 11:00)

“Drill, baby drill” – Trump said, promising to re-strengthen the role of fossil energy resources and to cut energy prices. Meanwhile the EU is still facing the multi-faceted challenges to go green, provide affordable energy supply and to increase its competitiveness in the shadow of the war in Ukraine.

Keynote speech

András Jenei

Deputy Director

Centre for Fair Political Analysis

 

Panel discussion

Attila Steiner

State Secretary for Energy

Ministry of Technology and Industry, Hungary

 

Georgy Samandov

Deputy Energy Minister of Bulgaria

 

Tina Seršen

State Secretary of Energy

Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy of Slovenia

 

Leonita Shabani-Mullarama

Secretary General

Ministry of Economy of Kosovo

 

Moderated by

Erik Molnár
General Director
Gnosis Institute

 

Coffee break (11:00-11:20)

Helping hands of your neighbour (11:20-13:00)

Building regional connectivity in energy supply chains and trade is essential to create functional networks and to optimise the use of energy produced. Cross-border cooperation and strengthening good neighbourly relations in energy policy can contribute to inter-state trust and mutually benefit the countries in concerns. Companies and regulatory authorities implementing such cooperations are key to ensure their operation ability.

Keynote speech

Szabolcs I. Ferencz

Chairman of the Board & CEO

FGSZ Ltd.

 

Panel discussion

Pál Ságvári

Vice President

Hungarian Energy and Public Utility Regulatory Authority

 

Zbyněk Boldiš

President of the Assembly (ČEPS a.s.)

European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity

Slovak representative from energy company or regulatory authority (tba)

Moderated by

Dr. Ottó Toldi
Senior Researcher
Climate Policy Institute

 

Lunch break (13:00-14:00)

Sustainable and realistic: the future of green transformation (14:00-15:40)

While there is still a debate on that how realistic it is to create a more environmentally sustainable energy system, technological development contributes to the emergence of new energy resources which along with modernisation of “old solutions” are providing increasing number of competitive and complementary solutions to combat this complex challenge.

 

Keynote speech

 

Dalibor Arbutina

Acting Director

Nuclear Facilities of Serbia

 

Panel discussion

 

Pál Kovács

Head of Cabinet and Director of CEO’s Cabinet

MVM Paks Nuclear Power Plant Ltd.

 

Dr. Csaba Novák

Founder and President

Hungarian Renewable Energy Resources

 

Ivan Fugaš

Managing Director

LNG Hrvatska

 

Moderated by

 

Árpád Párducz

International Analyst

Institute of Energy Strategy

 

 

Coffee break (15:40-16:00)

 

 

Energy strategies and their socio-economic impacts (16:00-17:40)

While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, evaluation of energy strategies cannot be complete without the consideration of social, economic and environmental impacts. Although some of these aspects are hard to be numerated but definitely, they shall be part of the analysis of costs and benefits accompanying certain strategic choices.

 

Keynote speech

 

Rusif Huseynov

Director

Topchubashov Center, Azerbaijan

 

Panel discussion

 

Dr. Ottó Toldi

Senior Researcher

Climate Policy Institute, Hungary

 

Maciej Jakubik

European Programme Coordinator

Forum Energii, Poland

 

Agron Demi,

Director

Atlas Institute, Kosovo

 

Monika Vana

Professor

Faculty for Economic Science, University of Vienna

 

Moderated by

 

Anna Orosz
Head of Research
Gnosis Institute

 

 

Closing remarks by the organisers (17:40-17:45)