The EU's proactive stance, introduced in the Critical Raw Material Strategy and later Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), drives the EU approach to secure the supply of European/domestic critical raw materials for EV battery production. The Cinovec project has a large economic potential as it enhances the ability to secure domestic and regional supply of lithium, which is otherwise very geographically concentrated outside of Europe. Europe relies on a handful of countries, particularly China, for the import of lithium for the production of EV batteries.

Coal has been an important part of the Czech economy for decades. As a fossil fuel, however, it is a significant producer of greenhouse gases, especially CO2. Our Research Fellow Jonathan Lyons and Senior Research Fellow Kateřina Davidová write in their blog about the benefits of decarbonisation and switching to wind energy.

The energy transition focuses on the swift and full decarbonization of our economies by moving away from fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil towards carbon-free and preferably renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, bioenergy and hydropower. The global community agreed to limiting the global average temperature to 1.5C to prevent worsening of potentially irreversible effects of climate change. Writes Jonathan Lyons.

Our Senior Research Fellow, Kateřina Davidová and Research Associate, Jonathan Lyons, in partnership with the Global Policy Research Group, have collaborated on a study that examines the secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials (CRMs) that are key to green technologies. The study recommends a strategy for Sweden and the Czech Republic to ensure sustainable supply chains to help the transition to green technologies.

The car industry is a crucial player for the economies of each Visegrad country, but to remain competitive adaptation is necessary. Since the shift from ICE to EVs leads to a substantial need for Critical Raw Materials (CRM), the V4 countries have and must continue to position themselves along the different parts of the EV battery supply chain from mining, refining to manufacturing, reuse and recycling as well as R&D into new battery chemistries. The future is electric: role of the Visegrad countries in the EV battery supply chain report addresses areas for Visegrad countries to ensure a sustainable and reliable EV battery supply chain.

In his EU Monitor, Jonathan Lyons writes about the future of solar energy in the Czech Republic. "Harnessing the full potential of solar energy will not only help to meet the EU's decarbonisation targets, but also boost energy security and create local jobs. The potential for solar energy in the Czech Republic is considerable, up to 12 GW," writes Lyons.

Our research assistant Jonathan Lyons wrote a report from a roundtable titled Decarbonisation as a Cure for Energy Poverty: What next for the Social Climate Fund. It was the 2nd roundtable on the topic of the extended EU carbon markets, this time from the social and just transition viewpoint.