At every stage of the CCS4CEE project, the voice of stakeholders is extremely important to us. That is why we have undertaken a number of activities aimed at them. Over the course of Q1 and Q2 2023, another series of workshops in the partner countries were held, dedicated to the deployment of CCS technologies. Due to some differences in the circumstances of these countries, the events have all taken a slightly different course. However, everywhere, the project is already at an advanced stage, and we are observing an increasing number of stakeholders interested in the results of our research. Moreover, those with whom relationships were established initially, are still following our work today. 

Regardless of the format of the workshop, whether it was held online, in a hybrid, or stationary format, what can certainly be said is the growing awareness of cross-border dependencies and the need for cooperation which was illustrated also by two joint events: for stakeholders from the Baltic states and for stakeholders from Czechia and Slovakia. All the workshops were well attended – e.g., the Polish one attracted the interest of business representatives, funding institutions and, importantly, also from the Ministry of Climate and Environment, even though it was held away from the capital city.  

Stakeholders often follow and want to learn from the experiences of other countries in the region. For example, János Hidi from Cambridge Econometrics, who conducted the Hungarian event, noticed that during the general discussion, the participants were interested in the Polish CCS environment. They wanted to better understand who took the initiative so that Poland is at a CCS-ready level.1  

In WP5, the consortium is also focusing on reaching out to decision-makers. Slovenia may serve here as one of the examples: at the end of the Slovenian workshop, 10 key recommendations and policy proposals were agreed upon to promote low-carbon technology development. These will be addressed to the government and signed by as many stakeholders as possible to push for these changes to be implemented, allowing for timely CCS development in Slovenia. It is worth mentioning that in the upcoming revision of the country’s National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), CCS is likely to be addressed in a larger scope than in the previous versions.   

We are convinced that the workshops achieved their objectives. The closing conference in Prague in September is still ahead of us, to which we invite you. Details of the event will be announced soon. 

1 The Council of Ministers in Poland has recently adopted a draft law amending the Geological and Mining Law. Among other things, it allows underground CO2 storage (CCS) activities to be carried out to a wider extent than in the current legislation. Now, it is in the process of approval by the Parliament. https://www.gov.pl/web/klimat/projekt-ustawy-o-prawo-geologiczne-przyjety-przez-rade-ministrow2