Tackling Complexity of the Just Transition in the EU: Evidence from Romania

Roxana Voicu-Dorobanțu, Clara Volintiru, Maria-Floriana Popescu, Vlad Nerău and George Ștefan
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Roxana Voicu-Dorobanțu: The Faculty of International Business and Economics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010374 Bucharest, Romania
Clara Volintiru: The Faculty of International Business and Economics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010374 Bucharest, Romania
Maria-Floriana Popescu: The Faculty of International Business and Economics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010374 Bucharest, Romania
Vlad Nerău: The Faculty of Theoretical and Applied Economics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010374 Bucharest, Romania
George Ștefan: The Faculty of Theoretical and Applied Economics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010374 Bucharest, Romania

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-22

Abstract: The process of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050 and cutting CO 2 emissions by 2030 by 55% compared to 1990 as per the EU Green Deal is highly complex. The energy mix must be changed to ensure long-term environmental sustainability, mainly by closing down coal sites, while preserving the energy-intensive short-term economic growth, ensuring social equity, and opening opportunities for regions diminishing in population and potential. Romania is currently in the position of deciding the optimal way forward in this challenging societal shift while morphing to evidence-based policy-making and anticipatory governance, mainly in its two coal-mining regions. This article provides possible future scenarios for tackling this complex issue in Romania through a three-pronged, staggered, methodology: (1) clustering Romania with other similar countries from the point of view of the Just Transition efforts (i.e., the energy mix and the socio-economic parameters), (2) analyzing Romania’s potential evolution of the energy mix from the point of the thermal efficiency of two major power plants (CEH and CEO) and the systemic energy losses, and (3) providing insights on the socio-economic context (economic development and labor market transformations, including the component on the effects on vulnerable consumers) of the central coal regions in Romania.

Keywords: Green Deal; coal phase-out; energy transition; Just Transition; Romania (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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