ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book provides nuanced studies of a range of country cases, three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), three Central European states (Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic) and three south-east European states (Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia). In recent years, energy security has become one of the most pressing policy issues for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). For most the of CEE states, privatisation of the energy sector was intended to help establish strong, market orientated economies with efficient and effective national actors and opportunities for domestic and foreign investment. The book examines the European Union (EU) as a third actor in the CEE energy sector. Beyond dependency issues, the EU has acknowledged climate change and the environment, as well as the need to promote market liberalisation as additional rationales for its interest in energy.
