Centre for Energy Policy

Centre for Energy Policy of the Institute of International Relations Prague

The primary objective of the CEP is to continuously monitor and analyse the external dimension of the European Union’s energy policies and security with regard to its present and potential future suppliers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Sub-Saharan Africa, and selected countries in Asia, North America, and Latin America. The CEP will simultaneously identify and address the main issues within the scope of these external energy relations of the EU that support or obstruct the development of mutual cooperation regarding energy.

The CEP will further concentrate on monitoring and analysing the internal dimension of energy policy and security in the EU and the selected regions.

The activities of the centre will be performed at three different levels:

the analytical level, which will encompass the writing and publishing of research reports, analyses, papers, etc.
the public relations level, which will include appearances in the media, the publication of short analyses entitled “Energy News,” and expert consultations.
the research level, where the activities will focus on the publication of academic articles and monographs, and the organisation of conferences.

The theoretical activity of the CEP will be based on theoretical pluralism, according to which the research will incorporate the use of a wide range of IR theories, especially (neo)realism, (neo)liberalism, rationalism, constructivism, the Copenhagen School, and (neo-)Marxism, as well as the theory of European integration. Additionally, the Centre for Energy Policy aspires to utilise and expand theoretical concepts such as ‘energy security’, ‘energy policy’, ‘discourse’, ‘the EU as an actor’, and ‘national interest’ in relation to energy.

Methodologically, the activities of the CEP will be rooted in pluralism as well, and it will accordingly utilise diverse methods, especially analysis, case studies, comparative case studies, and discourse analysis.

Activities and Publications of the Centre

Activities

2018–2022: Migration from the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia: Geopolitical and Security Contexts, Consequences and Recommendations for the Czech Republic. TAČR-ÉTA číslo TL01000432, Lukáš Tichý co-coordinator and team member (together with Jan Eichler, Miroslav Nožina, Veronika Bílková, Kristýna Tamchynová and Jan Daniel).
Vnitřní a vnější dimenze aktérství EU v energetických vztazích vůči Rusku a alternativním dodavatelům (GAČR), 2018-2020, Lukáš Tichý coordinator.

Publications

Tichý, Lukáš (2019): Energy infrastructure as a target of terrorist attacks from the Islamic state in Iraq and Syria. International Journal of Critical Infrastructure Protection, Volume 25, June 2019.
Tichý, Lukáš (2019): The Islamic State oil and gas strategy in North Africa. Energy Strategy Reviews, Vol. 24, April 2019.
Tichý, Lukáš (2019): EU-Russia Energy Relations: A Discursive Approach. Cham: Springer, 2019. ISBN 978-3-030-04106-9.
Tichý, Lukáš (2018): The IS and Attacks on the Oil and Gas Sector in Iraq. CEJISS, Vol. 12, No. 3.
Tichý, Lukáš (2018): The Diversification Discourse of Russia and Its Energy Relations with the EU. Asia Europe Journal (IF 0.877), First Online: 27 June 2018.
Tichý, Lukáš a kol (2017): Otevírání Íránu a jeho význam pro energetickou bezpečnost EU. Praha: Ústav mezinárodních vztahů.
Mazač, Jan – Tichý, Lukáš (2018): Egypt, a future gas supplier to the European Union? IIR Policy paper, 5/2018.
Terrorist Attacks on the Energy Sector as a Strategic Instrument of the Islamic State in the Middle East and North Africa. Mediterranean Quarterly, Vol. 28, No.3, 68-92.
Article by the coordinator, Lukáš Tichý, in the impacted International Politics. (Lukáš Tichý)
Russian strategy in the age of Dmitry Medvedev. International Politics, pp. 1-18. 20. 9. 2017 (online).
Article by the coordinator, Lukáš Tichý, in the impacted International Politics. (Lukáš Tichý)
The European Union must effectively develop energy relations with global producers and partners
There are almost no oil or gas resources in the EU. To strengthen its energy security, the EU has taken a number of measures in its energy policy. To find out which measures these were read the policy paper of our Centre for Energy Policy. Policy paper by (Lukáš Tichý, Nikita Odintsov, Jan Prouza, Jan Mazač, Michaela Prouzová)
Příležitosti a překážky dodávek zkapalněného zemního plynu z USA do EU
Policy paper by (Lukáš Tichý, Jan Mazač)
Energetická politika USA a význam dodávek zkapalněného zemního plynu do EU
Policy paper by (Lukáš Tichý, Jan Mazač)

Terorismus a energetika na Blízkém východě a v severní Africe, dopady pro EU a ČR
(Terrorism and Energy in the Middle East and North Africa: Consequences for the EU and the Czech Republic)

A book (in Czech) focused on terrorism as well as energy in MENA region, edited by Lukáš Tichý and co-authored by Jan Eichler nad Nikita Odintsov.
The book is available at IIR's e-shop.

Attacks on the energy sector and energy transport infrastructure represent a significant component of the strategies of militant and terrorist organisations in the Middle East and North Africa, such as Al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State, but also the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Similarly, energy is often used as an instrument of deterrence or extortion; for example, it is used this way by the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, the Palestinian political and terrorist group Hamas, the pan-Islamic political movement Hizb ut-Tahrir and the Muslim Brotherhood in the Middle East and North Africa. The possibility of future attacks by Al-Qaeda or ISIS on the energy sector in Europe or on the energy activities of European companies abroad cannot be ignored, as these attacks could directly jeopardise the EU’s energy security, depending on the extent of the damage. The terrorist activities and attacks directed at the energy sector in the Middle East and North Africa have a severe impact on the affected state, but their impact on the EU remains marginal.

(Lukáš Tichý (ed.), Jan Eichler, Nikita Odintsov)