CCS REGIONAL COOPERATION ROADMAP FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

As part of the CCS4CEE Project, WiseEuropa experts developed CCS Regional Cooperation Roadmap for Central and Eastern Europe. The document constitutes a part of a series of documents entitled Integrated Policy Roadmap which crowns the Project’s next phase. This series includes also: Central and Eastern European CCS Roadmap and Untapped potential: linking the CEE region to European CCS initiatives. All three documents aim to support successful CCS deployment across the Region by presenting a first-of-its-kind policy plan with a range of actions related to CCS that should be taken.

Authors of this document indicate that synergy between CEE states could definitely facilitate the development of CCS in the region thanks to:

• sharing knowledge, research experience and infrastructure between states more advanced in CO₂ storage-related research (e.g. Poland) and states where CO₂ storage has been barely investigated so far by national research institutes (e.g. Baltic states);
• sharing storage sites with states which possess limited geological CO₂ storage potential;
• cost distribution in the case of cross-border CO₂ transport infrastructure;
• common efforts in assessing the capacity for geological storage of CO₂, e.g. in the Baltic Sea. 

The development of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology is essential when looking at the decarbonisation challenges the European Union is facing on its way to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. It is estimated that CO₂ emissions cannot be completely eliminated without the use of CCS technology.

The CCS4CEE project aims to renew the discussion on the long-term deployment of CCS in the CEE region, leading to new policies and joint projects. It covers Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine. The project is funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway through the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Regional Cooperation. It is led by WiseEuropa and supported by Bellona Foundation as an expert partner. Other partners include Energy Policy Group, Institute for European Integration, and Civitta Latvija. The project is supported by EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy.