ABSTRACT
The European Union (EU) has the political goal of becoming the global leader in energy production from renewable energy sources (RES). Western countries of the Baltic Sea Region, like Germany, Denmark and Sweden, have established remuneration regimes to incentivise a rising share of RES, which has led to a rapid increase in renewable energy in their respective power mixes. In Eastern Baltic states like Poland and Latvia, on the other hand, RES production appears to have stagnated at low levels. This indicates a significant disparity between the efforts made by countries of the Baltic Sea Region to become a global leader in the energy transition. The following chapter will focus on the legal approach that the EU has taken to activate its citizens for participation in the energy transition. The authors will examine the existing conceptual framework for prosumers in the European energy transition, provide an overview of the status of prosumers in Poland and offer greater insight into the German legal framework for prosumers. The chapter will conclude with a summary of further steps that must be taken in EU Member States – especially the Baltic States – to implement the European framework for the active participation of citizens.
