Meridian

Defining the Region

WhatCentralandEasternEuropeMeansinThisContext

CEE is not a single bloc — it is three overlapping groupings of countries united by geography, shared infrastructure legacies, and a common trajectory toward clean energy. Understanding these groupings is essential to navigating the region's energy transition.

Three Overlapping Groupings

The region Meridian covers spans three distinct but interconnected frameworks — each with its own institutional logic, membership, and relevance to the energy transition.

CEE EU Member States
Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania — with Austria as the regional hub and gateway. These 11+1 states shape EU energy policy from within, accessing the Modernisation Fund, Cohesion Policy, and the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
Energy Community Contracting Parties
Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and the six Western Balkan economies — Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. Committed to implementing the EU energy acquis through the Energy Community Treaty, headquartered in Vienna.
Three Seas Initiative (3SI)
12 EU Member States between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Seas — Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Focused on infrastructure connectivity and energy independence.

The Region by the Numbers

Central and Eastern Europe's energy transition is defined by scale — in deployment potential, funding flows, and market opportunity.

200 GW
Solar deployment potential by 2030 across 3SI countries
83 GW
Combined onshore and offshore wind potential by 2030
39%
Electricity from renewables in 3SI countries (2023)
€9.4B
Poland's Clean Air Programme — contracted for household heating replacement

Vienna: The Natural Convening Point

Vienna is the natural convening point for CEE energy policy and expertise. The Energy Community Secretariat has been headquartered in the city since 2006, making it the institutional anchor for the region's energy governance — covering not just EU Member States but also the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.

The city hosts leading research capacity through TU Wien and the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), major utilities including Wien Energie, VERBUND and OMV, and serves as a geographic and historical bridge between Western and Eastern Europe.

Energy Community Secretariat
Headquartered in Vienna since 2006, governing energy policy across 9 contracting parties
Research & Academia
TU Wien and AIT provide world-class energy research with deep CEE focus
Industry & Utilities
Wien Energie, VERBUND and OMV anchor Austria's role as the region's energy gateway

Why the Overlap Matters

These three groupings are not competing definitions — they are complementary lenses. A country like Romania sits in all three frameworks simultaneously: as an EU Member State subject to the Fit for 55 package, as a 3SI participant focused on infrastructure connectivity, and as a neighbour to Energy Community parties shaping cross-border energy flows.

Understanding where these frameworks converge — and where they diverge — is essential for policymakers, investors, and industry players navigating CEE's energy transition. Meridian tracks developments across all three to provide a complete picture.

From Regional Overview to Country Deep Dives

Each CEE country has a distinct energy mix, regulatory landscape, and transition trajectory. Explore our country profiles for detailed analysis of Poland, Romania, the Baltic States, the Western Balkans, and more.

© 2026 Meridian