POLAND'S ENERGY SECURITY IN THE CONTEXT OF EU ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES

Abstract

The current conditions of global development actualize the need for political actors to form a high level of energy security. It expands the state's ability to ensure the sustainability of economic development and the ability to withstand likely threats. The issue of energy security and sovereignty are key on the agenda of the EU, which seeks to implement a strategy of global leadership. The environmental modernization of the EU energy sector and each member state must comply with the main goal of «The European Green Deal», which is to reduce carbon emissions by 55% before 2030. The subject of the study is the substance and peculiarities of the formation of energy security in Poland. The aim of the study is to analyze the mechanisms of energy security of Poland in the context of EU environmental initiatives. Research methodology: systematic approach, method of analysis and comparison. The issue of energy security is recognized as key in achieving sustainable economic development in Poland. The content and basic principles of state energy security are presented in the National Security Strategy and detailed in the Energy Policy. Among the main directions of ecological modernization of the energy sector the following have been identified: efficient consumption of national energy resources; modernization of the energy sector and infrastructure; diversification of natural gas, oil, liquid fuel supplies; optimization of energy market functioning; construction of nuclear power plants; expansion of alternative energy sources; modernization of heating and co-generation energy systems; increasing energy efficiency. Polish officials have emphasized the need for a three-phase energy transition, involving a reduction in the production and use of coal, a gradual increase in the share of natural gas and the expansion of opportunities to use energy from alternative sources. The modernization of Poland's energy sector correlates with the implementation of «The European Green Deal» and other EU environmental initiatives. Energy sovereignty is secured through domestic and foreign financial assistance. The National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management of Poland attracts investments in environmental projects related to the development of geothermal energy and improvement of infrastructure energy efficiency. EU special funds (European Regional Development Fund/European Social Fund, Cohesion Fund, Just Transition Fund and Modernization Fund) provide funding for national or regional projects aimed at the comprehensive modernization of the Polish energy sector and the implementation of commitments to achieve climate neutrality. Poland pursues an active policy of cooperation in the energy sphere with other states – Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Projects such as "Baltic Pipe" and "The Baltic Synchronisation Project" are in the active implementation phase. The results of the study: energy security is a key factor in the sustainability of economic development of Poland, the implementation of the modernization of the national energy complex correlates with the EU environmental initiatives, which contributes to the attraction of domestic and foreign investment, as well as the resources of public diplomacy.