2025-10-04 18:00
publication
2025-10-04 18:00
Increasing the share of renewable energy sources (renewable energy) in the energy mix has a significant impact on GDP in the economies of Central and Eastern European countries – according to the SGH report and the Economic Forum 2025.
However, the pace of changes that should not be too drastic is important here. The energy mix in the countries of this region is strongly diverse, but fossil fuels dominate in all. The greatest addiction to them occurs in Poland, which means that the energy transformation plan should be adapted not only to the EU climate policy, but also the needs of the Polish economy.
– In the SGH and Economic Forum report we identified the positive impact of energy transformation and the growing role of renewable energy on economic growth. It is important that the pace of this transformation does not show such a positive effect, at least in a short period. This means that you need to transform the economy towards renewable energy sources, but it should be done in a reasonable way and certainly not very drastic due to the fact that it is a multifaceted and long -term process – says Newseria agency dr Tomasz P. Wiśniewski, head of the European Union Department at the Main School in Warsaw, co -author of the study.
The report indicates that In all economies of Central and Eastern Europe (11 countries) fossil fuels play a dominant role in the energy mix: coal, oil and natural gas. The greatest addiction to them in 2023 occurred in Poland, in which they constituted 88 percent. Energy mix structure. The next places are Estonia (nearly 85 percent) and Lithuania (over 82 percent). Slovenia recorded the lowest share of fossil fuels in the energy mix – 56 percent Six of 11 countries are also supported by nuclear energy (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary), which is responsible for 8-25 percent. participation in their total energy mix.
– Poland has the most carbon energy mix throughout Europe and generally all of Central and Eastern Europe is a region where fossil fuels dominate. Therefore, energy transformation requires an appropriate pace and what flows from our study is the fact that the rate of transformation in a short period does not show such benefits as the mere fact of increasing the participation of renewable energy sources, but in a longer time horizon – emphasizes Dr. Tomasz P. Wiśniewski.
The report also shows that there is a two -way relationship between renewable energy and GDP – a higher level of economic development is conducive to higher renewable energy investments, which in turn stimulate the further growth of the economy.
According to SGH experts, RES in Poland increased from 0.8 percent. in 2001 to 12.2 percent in 2023, which gives an increase of 11.4 pp. It coincides with the average for all economies of Central and Eastern Europe (11.1 pp.). Lithuania (by 16.4 pp), Estonia (by 15.4 pp.) And Bulgaria (by 12.9 pp.) Recorded the largest increase in RES in the period 2001-2023. The authors of the report emphasize, however, that the Estonian economy has also achieved the highest growth dynamics, which is measured in the cumulative annual growth rate (CAGR) and which amounted to 23 percent. In Poland it was 13 percent. – This is one of the four best results in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. RES participation grew faster only in Estonia, Hungary and Lithuania.
– Energy transformation is in the common sense the growing role of renewable energy and increasing their participation in the energy mix, which is only part of the truth. Behind this we have a number of other important processes, such as, for example, adapting the power network or how to use energy by society – explains the head of the European Union plant at the SGH. – The development of renewable energy sources must be correlated with the appropriate displacement of the power system, with the initial state of the energy mix of a given economy.
Therefore, as he emphasizes, each country should find its own transformation path.
– This is about reliable preparation of the economy, individual sectors, so that the energy transformation and the transition to renewable energy sources are not implemented in the shock formula – says Dr. Tomasz P. Wiśniewski. – The recommendation for Poland is that this transformation path is adapted to the realities of our economy and the structure of the energy mix. The recommendation should definitely be that you should take actions that are in line with the long -term vision. Energy transformation is a long -term process, so it cannot be implemented over short, several years of sections of time.
In the region's countries, the addition of transformation must be in line with the framework of EU climate policy.
– The golden mean is that the path of the transformation of the Polish economy is designed in such a way that it is compatible with the EU frames, but also meets the needs of the Polish economy, Polish society – emphasizes the SGH expert.
