INVITATION
The Gnosis Instituteand the OCECCD have the pleasure to invite you and the interested public to the
Energy Forum 2026: Time for Energy Reset in Central and South-East Europe?
Date: 10 June 2026 Starting time: 9:30 a.m. Venue: Courtyard by Marriott Vienna Prater/Messe (Trabrennstraße 4, 1020 Vienna, Austria)
The Energy Forum serves as a platform where representatives of the business and expert community, academia and policymakers can come together for a genuine exchange about the most pressing issues affecting energy security of Central and South-East Europe. In times of international crises and multiple pressures, best possible decisions can be reached if there is a proper understanding of the global contexts, value- and supply chains, technological developments that could open further alternatives as well as the socio-economic impacts of the different alternatives that governments can opt for.
Gnosis Institute as a privately funded, independent research organisation is dedicated to support our region’s development and progress by facilitating cooperation and exchange of knowledge among all relevant actors. Thus, we honestly hope that we can welcome you on our 4th Energy Forum in Vienna.
The language of the event is English.
The event is public, but registration is required.
Please register here until 9 June 2026.
Concept
While the victory of Donald Trump made it clear that the United States of America would carry out a U-turn in its energy policy that could have a major impact on the global energy market as well as on the prospects of national level energy policies in Central and South-East Europe, the new U.S. national security strategy published in November 2025 and the military actions carried out since then created even more uncertainties and risks – topping challenges stemming from the war in Ukraine – that our region has to cope with in the coming years.
The wars in Ukraine, in the Middle East and the military intervention in Venezuela have significant implications for the future of energy markets: consequences of disruption in production, operation of transport roots and supply chains were immediately felt in the global energy market as well as in Central and South-East Europe and thus pressure on national governments is increasing to cushion short-term negative impacts (e.g., increasing energy prices) and to formulate energy policies that can provide protection against the future crises and uncertainties.
National governments in Central and South-East Europe as well as in the broader EU are working to find feasible solutions. On the one hand, they are searching ways to enhance energy independence to be less exposed to energy imports. On the other hand, they must strengthen their cooperation to increase resilience of their energy markets and strengthen energy security. However, finding a common ground is not always easy. Green agenda of the EU largely based on the German energy policy approach got under fire as the EU is struggling to regain its competitiveness and voices demanding strategic autonomy in fields of defence and AI technologies are getting stronger. In this context, it is inevitable to answer questions like which energy resources could suit the best to meet the demand in the region and what kind of infrastructural projects are necessary to make the implementation possible.
The 4th edition of the Energy Forum entitled “Time for Energy Reset in Central and South-East Europe?” is going to address both political and technical challenges in parallel to bring ourselves closer to the answer of the question how our region could turn risks and uncertainties into opportunities for an energy transformation that can meet economic and social needs in Central and South-East Europe.
Agenda
Registration (9:00 – 9:30)
Welcome remarks (9:30 – 9:40)
Erik Molnár
General Director
Gnosis Institute
Keynote speech (9:40 – 10:00)
Hon. Consul General Alfred Chyba
President
Union of the Consular Corps in Austria
Warming-up panel: The Role of Digitalisation and Decentralisation in the Energy Sector (10:00 – 11:00)
One of the most fascinating debates of the last edition of our Energy Forum surrounded the concept of (de-)growth and energy demand. Despite all efforts to put sustainable solutions in place, in times of increasing ICT investments and demand for data centres that requires enormous amount of energy, it is important to raise the question and analyse how energy consumption is changing in Central and South-East Europe and what way the necessary energy can be securely provided for such systems. In parallel with this, decentralisation in the energy production and usage broadens the scope of possible solutions to cope with uncertainties stemming from international crisis and volatilities of the energy markets.
Árpád Párducz
International Analyst
Institute of Energy Strategy
Gábor Antal, EMBA
Partner at Eragon Project
Moderated by
Erik Molnár General Director Gnosis Institute
Coffee break (11:00 – 11:30)
The future of energy independence and regional cooperation in Central and South-East Europe (11:30 – 13:00)
International uncertainties and vulnerabilities of supply chains are creating increasing pressures on national governments in Central and South-East Europe to decrease their exposure to energy imports on the one hand and to strengthen cooperation in their direct neighbourhood. What are the prospects of energy independence of Central and South-East European states and how can they promote each other through regional cooperation? Speakers of this panel will provide an insight into the stage of regulatory and infrastructural preparedness in the region as well as share their thoughts on what the prospects are for the future.
Aleksandar Kovačević (online) Senior Visiting Research Fellow Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
Peter Hlusek
Gas Market Expert
Energy Community Secretariat
Mario Holzner Director Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies
Moderated by
Rebecca Thorne Research Associate IDM
Lunch break (13:00 – 14:00)
Green Deal under competitiveness pressures (14:00 – 15:30)
While the EU is trying to stick to its commitments regarding sustainability and green transition, voices claiming to meet social and economic demands related to energy supply and to increase European economies’ competitiveness are getting stronger. Public support for nuclear energy is on the rise in many European countries that might overwrite former approach of the Green Deal of the EU. The panel will analyse what scenarios and policy combinations are likely to compete and be promoted in these debates.
Pál Kovács
Head of Cabinet and Director of CEO’s Cabinet
MVM Paks Nuclear Power Plant Ltd.
Christian Tesch (tbc)
Director
Oecolution Austria
Loyle Campbell
Research Fellow
Center for Climate and Foreign Policy
German Council on Foreign Relations
Moderated by Árpád Párducz
International Analyst
Institute of Energy Strategy
Coffee break (15:30 – 16:00)
International Pressures and Local Demands: Can We Meet Both? (16:00 – 17:30)
Central and South-East European states’ energy policy making is under multiple pressures: while there is a necessity to meet expectations of their international/European partners and alliances (U.S. is trying to sell its LNG and nuclear technology, EU Green Deal), these governments also try to ensure that their economies and societies can have stable, affordable, environmentally friendly and secure access to energy necessary for their daily lives and operations. This panel will take a look at that to what extent it is possible to comply with both demands and what the consequences are for those societies and economies.
Dr. Ottó Toldi
Independent Energy Expert
Sonja Risteska
Head of Battery Storage Europe Platform SolarPower Europe
Diedona Breca
Site Engineer
Kosovo Transmission, System and Market Operator
Moderated by
Anna Orosz Head of Research Gnosis Institute
Closing remarks by the organisers (17:30 – 17:40)
Reception (17:40 – 19:30)