2023 was a good year for EPG: we extended, diversified and strengthened our team, reaching 20 in-house researchers and associates; closed new partnerships with reputed international think-tanks, such as CATF, Third Way, and Reform Institute; and engaged in new policy research, with no less than 15 multi-annual European projects currently ongoing.
In navigating the complex policy landscape in the aftermath of the pandemic and energy crises of recent years, EPG has visibly intensified engagement with public authorities and the carbon-intensive industries, increasing the number of meetings, roundtables, and conferences, as well as policy reports, briefs, op-eds, interviews, and podcasts. The purpose has been not merely to better inform our policy work and customise our policy recommendations, but also to create useful communication channels between stakeholders, which we have deemed urgent in view of the profound upcoming changes brought by the Fit for 55 package.
As we continue our defining work on the energy sector, staunchly promoting renewables, power networks expansion and digitalisation, storage and energy efficiency, as well as transparent and competitive energy markets across the EU, we have made firm steps towards tackling the challenges of decarbonising Romania’s carbon-intensive industries and its buildings sector, with widely acknowledged streams of work on industrial decarbonisation, carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), and energy efficiency in buildings.
We have also published prominent work on climate policy and governance, including our first set of recommendations for a Romanian climate law, and investigated the social impact of climate mitigation technologies and policies. Our work remains fundamentally data-driven and our recommendations are informed by engagement with a wide range of stakeholders. Other sectors are in the offing, under the lodestar of offering evidence-based solutions for a fully decarbonised, yet competitive and fair economy. Not least, at the end of 2023 we moved to new premises, to accommodate our growing team and make room for new colleagues to come. As we are nearing 10 years of existence, we trust that we will remain a mainstay in regional energy and climate policy analysis, with an increasingly recognisable European presence.
Radu Dudău – EPG President