A fairy tale about two Europes

Two other energy stories are told in Europe. While in the Western part of Europe which still accelerates the resignation from coal, through their political actions, the European Union is striking the demand for coal. It implements climate change activities, including the CO2 emission allowance trading system, undertakes actions related to air pollution and gradual back down from coal energy. By 2023, at least two countries (France and Sweden) plan to close their last coal-fired power plants, which will make Germany the only major coal consumer in Western Europe.

On the other hand, in Eastern Europe, demand for coal remains stable. Several new coal-fired power plants are built in the Balkans, Greece and Poland. Considering that most of these new plants will replace older and less productive ones, coal efficiency and demand for that sources will not increase.

The Energy policy has a big impact on the energy prices which differs between those two parts of Europe. The price of energy in Western Europe is still much higher than in Eastern which is even more visible regarding to the economic development. Decarbonization policy is a good proposition for the rich countries, but for developing economies it is still too heavy for national budgets and socjety.