Central and Eastern Europe faces an acute challenge: securing winter energy supplies amidst price volatility, while advancing legally binding decarbonization goals. At this year’s Regional Energy Policy Forum we aim to bridge the gap between macro-geopolitics (such as the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis) and local realities, directly addressing the risk of underutilized gas infrastructure alongside the rapid push to electrify the power and heat sectors. By bringing together top-tier European regulators from ACER, regional infrastructure operators, and leading clean energy analysts, we discuss how to navigate investments at both supply and demand sides. Join us in Budapest to discuss CEE’s energy dilemmas.
Opening and keynotes:
Adrás Tótth, State Secretary, Ministry of Economy and Energy
Eszter Szekeres, CEO of MET Hungary Ltd.
- Veit Bürger, Head of department, ÖkoInstitut (Germany)
- László Varró,Vice President Global Business Environment, Shell
Panel 1 -Geopolitics, LNG Volatility, and CEE Winter Preparedness
Anne-Sophie Corbeau, Global Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University (online)
Andrej Nosko, energy policy and security expert, SFPA
Dr. András Rácz, security policy expert and researcher at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs
Zombor Smaraglay, Executive Director of Gas Wholesale - MET Central Europe Hungary
- Moderator:Agata Łoskot-Strachota, Project coordinator at OSW Centre for Eastern Studies (Poland)
Panel 2 -Short and midterm future of gas supply in CEE
- Csilla Bartók, Head of Department at ACER (online)
- Krisztina Tarjányi, Deputy State Secretary, Ministry of Economy and Energy
Szabolcs Ferencz, Chairman-CEO of FGSZ Ltd.
Vlad Epurescu, Senior Market Expert Analyst, OMV Petrom (tbc)
- Moderator: Borbála Takácsné Tóth, Senior research associate, REKK
Panel 3 - Is Natural Gas a Bridge or a Stranded Asset in the CEE Power Production?
- Jan Krčál, Lead Analyst at Fakta o klimatu (Czech Republic)
- Péter Horváth, CEO, Dunamenti Erőmű Zrt.
Kacper Kwidziński, Project manager, Forum Energii (Poland)
- Moderator: László Szabó, director of REKK
Participation fee: HUF 50.000 (Participation is free for teachers and students of the Corvinus University).
