Central Europe and the Use of Hydrogen as a Source of Energy: Strategies, Plans and Reflections on Public Policy

Central Europe is a special region, not only because of its political importance, but also because of its geographical and climatic conditions. Among other characteristics, it can be seen as a group of landlocked countries that are limited in terms of imports because they cannot use their own seaports. At the same time, it is a region with much less potential for the use of renewable energy sources, especially solar and wind. Undoubtedly, these facts also contribute to the much more optimistic view of the Central European countries on the possibilities of further use of nuclear energy, although this very issue brings into the region a significant tension between the pair of Germany + Austria on the one hand and the group of new member countries (Visegrad Group or the wider “V4+ format”) on the other. The European Green Deal and related strategies also envisage the use of hydrogen as one of the specific sources of clean energy. Our analysis focuses on the strategic intentions of the Central European countries in relation to the implementation of the EU targets. Methodologically, it relies primarily on the analysis of public policy documents at the European and national levels, as well as on the analysis of the hydrogen energy discourse. We include the countries of the Visegrad Group as well as Slovenia, Austria and Germany in the analysis. The selection of cases is based on the assumption of common dilemmas as well as the experience of significantly different approaches to energy security in the mentioned countries.