Leader of the project: The Department of Political Science at the Comenius University in Bratislava

Project website: https://fphil.uniba.sk/v4civicenergy/

Participating researchers from the HUN-REN CERS IWE: Dániel Muth, György András Deák

Implementation period: January 2024 – October 2024

This research project supported by

PROJECT PARTNERS

Centrum Praw Obywatelskich i Badań nad Demokracją, Poland – WEBSITE

Institute of International Relations Prague, Czechia – WEBSITE

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The project “Civic Energy Self-Defense in the Shadow of the War in Ukraine: Grassroots Energy Activities in V4” addresses the pressing concerns surrounding energy security heightened by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This project not only explores the implications of energy security but also examines the barriers faced by citizens in the Visegrad Group countries as they grapple with rising energy and heating costs. Our research delves into how the energy crisis has reshaped the behaviors and responses of diverse social groups, both economically and geographically. Through a series of focus groups involving prosumers, heat pump users, and individuals experiencing energy poverty, we have gathered unique empirical data from all four V4 countries, providing valuable insights into the grassroots efforts aimed at tackling these challenges.

DISSEMINATION/OUTPUTS

RESEARCH REPORT – DOWNLOAD

POLICY BRIEFS

HOW HAVE PROSUMERS RESPONDED TO THE CURRENT ENERGY
CRISIS? – DOWNLOAD

HOW HAVE HEAT PUMP USERS RESPONDED TO THE CURRENT
ENERGY CRISIS? – DOWNLOAD

HOW HAVE THOSE AFFECTED BY ENERGY POVERTY
RESPONDED TO THE CURRENT ENERGY CRISIS? – DOWNLOAD

RESPONSES TO THE CURRENT ENERGY CRISIS: INSIGHTS
FROM THE VISEGRAD GROUP – DOWNLOAD

A Civic Energy Self-Defense in the Shadow of the War in Ukraine: Grassroots Energy Activities in V4 bejegyzés először VGI-én jelent meg.

Leader of the project: HUN-REN CERS, Institute of World Economics, Hungary

Head of the project: Gábor Túry (HUN-REN CERS Institute of World Economics)

Implementation period: 2024 – 2025

This research project supported by

The project is co-financed by the Governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.

PROJECT PARTNERS

Prague University of Economics and Business, Czechia – WEBSITE

SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Poland – WEBSITE

Institute of Economic Sciences, Serbia – WEBSITE

Pan European University, Slovakia – WEBSITE

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Efforts to reduce carbon emissions in road transportation are creating new challenges for Europe’s automotive industry. Substantial investments are made to meet the European Commission’s roadmap, particularly in addressing the gap in electric vehicle (EV) battery development and production. Central Europe is at the forefront of these efforts, attracting significant investments from EV battery manufacturers, as the Visegrad 4 and Serbia (V4+S) play a significant role in European automotive production. However, foreign investors in V4 countries prioritise short-term gains over long-term strategies, maintaining assembly-based roles rather than advancing higher-value activities. Similarly, Serbia’s automotive industry has expanded primarily through foreign investments, albeit with limited added value due to the predominant role of assembling complex components imported from abroad. Therefore, the main issue the project focuses on is improving the position of V4+S in minimising the existing assembly-based role and implementing more high-value activities of the automotive industry value chains.

In connection with this, the following questions arise: • What are the key investment trends in response to EV technological transitions in V4+S? • How have changes in the automotive Global Value Chain affected regional industry dynamics? • What are the similar and different opportunities and challenges in the EV technological transition in V4+S? • What policy recommendations can be derived to implement more high-value activities in V4+S?

To answer these questions, we will identify threats and opportunities by exploring automotive value chain transformations related to the decarbonisation process. Furthermore, we will examine how governmental strategic goals are fulfilled. With the help of interviews with the stakeholders, statistical and documentary analysis we will provide a detailed picture of the automotive industry’s transition process in each country. During the project implementation, we will perform the following activities: • Analysis and comparison of investments related to technological transition in the automotive industry; • Identification and examination of changes and upgradings in the automotive value chain; • Semistructured interviews with companies and stakeholder representatives, such as industry associations, trade unions, clusters, chamber of commerce, etc.; • Identification and analysis of strategies of selected individual countries; • Elaboration of case studies on sectors, countries and companies; • Preparing scientific articles; • Formulation of public policy recommendations; • Communication of the project outcomes through conference presentations, university lectures, scientific articles and in the final project report; the elaborated case studies will serve as a basis for discussion in university seminars within the Doing Business in the Globalized Environment course at Prague University of Economics and Business, the EU Internal Market at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics. Dissemination of all project research findings and topic-related updates through social media, events and relevant news outlets.

DISSEMINATION/OUTPUTS

Conferences/Workshops

Date: October 29, 2024

Venue: HTK, 1097 Budapest, Tóth Kálmán u. 4., Hungary / Grounf Floor Room K. 11-12.

‘State policies on the buildout of electric car production in CEE countries’

CONFERENCE WEBPAGE

Date: May 9, 2025

Venue: Institute of Economic Sciences, Zmaj Jovina 12, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia

Final Conference: ‘SHIFTing Gears: The Future of Electric Car Production in CEE Countries’

CONFERENCE WEBPAGE

Research papers/Publications

Andrea Éltető (2024). Why Is It Different? Specific Characteristics of the Hungarian Battery Industry: Legal Background and Environmental Impacts

In: HUN-REN CERS, Institute of World Economics, Working Paper Nr. 276 (2024) August 2024

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Andrea Éltető (2024). Iparbiztonsági kockázatok a magyar akkumulátorgyártásban és az ezzel kapcsolatos kommunikáció

In: Külgazdaság, 68:2024/9-10, 31-69.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47630/KULG.2024.68.9-10.31

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Andrea Éltető (2024). Industrial safety risks in the Hungarian battery industry and related communication

In: HUN-REN CERS, Institute of World Economics, Working Paper Nr. 278 (2024) November 2024

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Petar Mitić, Isidora Beraha (2024): Strategic Pathways for EV and Battery Production in Serbia

In: HUN-REN CERS, Institute of World Economics, Working Paper Nr. 279 (2024) November 2024

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Tomáš Dudáš (2024). Government Strategies for the Transition to Battery Electric Vehicles Production in Slovakia

In: Olha Brynko, Rostyslav Karakash, Radovan Kopál, Sabina Lacušová, Iryna Taliian and Eva Vlková (eds.) International Economy, Politics and Law in 2024: Trends, Challenges, Perspectives, International Scientific Conference, Vydavateľstvo Ekonóm, pp. 116-123.

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Gábor Túry (2024). Szerbia mentheti meg az európai autóipart? Superman kristályához hasonló ásvány segíthet ebben. [Serbia can save the European car industry? A mineral like Superman’s crystal could help] Portfolio KRTK blog, December 30, 2024

https://www.portfolio.hu/krtk/20241230/szerbia-mentheti-meg-az-europai-autoipart-superman-kristalyahoz-hasonlo-asvany-segithet-ebben-731953

Judit Ricz, Andrea Éltető (2025): Paradoxes of Green Transition and Developmentalism: The Case of EV Battery Production in Hungary

In: Problems of Post-Communism, 1–15.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10758216.2025.2459268

Gábor Túry, Andrea Éltető, Tamás Szigetvári (2025): Az elektromos autók gyártására való átállás hatása a közép-európai beszállítókra (The impact of the transition to electric car manufacturing on Central European suppliers)

In: ELTE KRTK, Világgazdasági Intézet, Műhelytanulmányok Nr. 155. (2025. október)

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Case Studies

Andrea Éltető: Jó-e, ha Kína irányítja majd a magyar akkumulátor-exportot? (Is it good if China will control Hungarian battery exports?) Portfolio KRTK blog, 2024. február 8.

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Andrea Éltető: Jelentős mértékben szennyeznek a magyarországi akkumulátorgyárak, de lenne erre megoldás. (Hungarian battery factories pollute significantly, but there is a solution) Portfolio KRTK blog, 2024. szeptember 20.

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Gábor Túry:  Szerbia mentheti meg az európai autóipart? Superman kristályához hasonló ásvány segíthet ebben. (Can Serbia save the European car industry? A mineral similar to Superman’s crystal can help) Portfolio KRTK blog, 2024. december 30.

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Andrea Éltető: Négy kilogrammon múlt a környezeti hatásvizsgálat: hogyan ássa alá a kormányzat a saját akkustratégiáját? (Four kilograms passed the environmental impact assessment: how is the government undermining its own battery strategy?) HVG 2025. április 14.

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Press coverage/Articles

HVG.hu (Hungarian online news portal)

Fejlesztési kényszer, lyukra futás, visszaszorulás: óriási kihívásokról vallottak az elektromosautó-iparba bekapcsolódni akaró magyar beszállítók (Development pressure, running into a dead end, being pushed back: Hungarian suppliers wanting to join the electric car industry spoke of enormous challenges)

Based on the experiences of potential suppliers in Hungary, the transition to electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing often seems more like a struggle. A recent Hungarian study assessed the possibilities and realities of companies’ involvement in the EV industry.

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Conference presentations

Tomáš Dudáš: Government Strategies for the Transition to Battery Electric Vehicles Production in Slovakia

International Economy, Politics and Law in 2024: Trends, Challenges, Perspectives. International Scientific Conference. University of Economics in Bratislava, Faculty of International Relations

Bratislava, Slovakia, November 29, 2024.

Andrea Éltető: Dependency combined with illiberalism:  differences in Central European EV battery production

Comparative economic systems in the era of geo-economic fragmentation. 18th Biannual Conference of the European Association for Comparative Economic Studies – EACES

Belgrade, Serbia, September 12-14, 2024.

Andrea Éltető: Risks of new industrial policies in the semi-periphery: the electric vehicle sector in Hungary

20 years in the European Union: Catching up, territorial policy and inequalities. MRTT annual conference, University of Szeged Faculty of Economics and Business Administration

Szeged, Hungary, October 17-18, 2024.

Andrea Éltető: Dependency combined with illiberalism: differences in Central European EV battery production

The Changing Global Economic and Business Environment: Policy Challenges. 10th The Role of the State in Varieties of Capitalism (SVOC) International Conference

Budapest, Hungary, November 14-15, 2024.

Andrea Éltető: Charging Resistance :The Rise of Civil Protests in Hungary’s EV Battery Industry

Green and digital transition. The 7th Conference in cooperation with the European Association for Comparative Economic Studies

Szeged, Hungary, June 18-20, 2025.

Gábor Túry: State strategies for the transition to BEV production – the case of Hungary

Globalisation, integration, cooperation – what is at stake in the current turbulent times? The 6th Conference in cooperation with the European Association for Comparative Economic Studies

Szeged, Hungary, March 22-23, 2024.

Gábor Túry, Andrea Éltető, Tamás Szigetvári: Hungarian government strategy for the transition to BEV production – what do the real policies show?

EADI conference: Views on development from the peripheries of Europe. HUN-REN CERS IWE – EADI

Budapest, Hungary, May 16-17, 2024.

Gábor Túry: Environmental sustainability in automotive upstream activities – Corporate strategies and reality in the European EV supply chain

Central and Eastern Europe in the Changing Business Environment. 24th International Joint Conference University of Economics in Bratislava

Bratislava, Slovakia, May 23-24, 2024.

Gábor Túry, Andrea Éltető, Tamás Szigetvári: Hungarian government strategy for the transition to BEV production – what do the real policies show?

The Changing Global Economic and Business Environment: Policy Challenges. 10th The Role of the State in Varieties of Capitalism (SVOC) International Conference

Budapest, Hungary, November 14-15, 2024.

Gábor Túry: What Opportunities does the Technology Shift Offer? Government Policies on the Buildout of Electric Car Industry in Hungary

XIV. International Conference Challenges in the New Era of Globalization (GLOBERA). Institute for World Economy

Bucharest, Romania, December 4-5, 2024.

Gábor Túry: Átállás az elektromos autógyártásra: a magyarországi autóipari beszállítók lehetőségei

Műhelybeszélgetések. HUN-REN KRTK Világgazdasági Intézet

Budapest, Hungary, June 10, 2025.

Gábor Túry: Az európai autóipar versenyképessége a jelenlegi átalakulások idején

Soha nem látott átalakulás az autóiparban. Portfolio konferencia Signature Online Klub

Budapest, Hungary, June 10, 2025.

https://www.portfolio.hu/rendezvenyek/klub/soha-nem-latott-atalakulas-az-autoiparban/1887/program

Gábor Túry: Prospects for Hungarian suppliers in the transition to electric car production

Green and digital transition. The 7th Conference in cooperation with the European Association for Comparative Economic Studies

Szeged, Hungary, June 18-20, 2025.

Gábor Túry:  From Internal Combustion to Electric: How the Shift to EV Production Reshapes Supply Chain Structures

XV. International Conference Challenges in the New Era of Globalization (GLOBERA). Institute for World Economy

Bucharest, Romania, December 4-5, 2025.

Petar Mitić, Isidora Beraha: Government subsidies for electric and hybrid vehicles in Serbia and the region

4^th Visegrad Conference, HUN-REN CERS, Institute of World Economics

Budapest, Hungary, June 24, 2024.

Petar Mitić: Lithium mine in the Jadar Valley, Serbia

Possibilities and dangers of the EU’s and Hungary’s Battery Strategy, Civil EU Presidency 2024.

Budapest, Hungary, November 22, 2024.

A Shift to electric car production: national strategies in Central and Eastern Europe bejegyzés először VGI-én jelent meg.

Leader of the project: HUN-REN CERS, Institute of World Economics, Hungary

Coordinator of the project: Csaba Weiner (HUN-REN CERS Institute of World Economics)

Participants: Kálmán Kalotay, Csaba Lakócai, Gábor Túry, Anna Wisniewski

Implementation period: 2024 – 2026

This research project supported by Kulturális és Innovációs Minisztérium, NKFI Alap

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The academic literature lacks a detailed long-term analysis of Central and East European (CEE) exports of goods to and foreign direct investment (FDI) in Russia and firm-level empirical investigation and explanatory power on these activities. Western sanctions and Russian countermeasures, especially those from 2022 onwards, have made this gap even more apparent, and sporadic non-academic sources cannot substitute for rigorous academic study. Although the Russian market constituted a small part of CEE exports and outward FDI activity even in the pre-sanctions period, it has continued to be important for selected CEE export products and investor firms, which have been challenged by hurdles caused by these sanctions regimes. In the proposed research, we take on the task of assessing how sanctions have affected Hungarian and Polish exports of goods to and FDI in Russia and the firms behind these transactions. We make an effort to fill this gap using a multiple methods approach, relying on both qualitative and quantitative methods, and integrating the insights of the institutional theory with the resource-based view and the resource-dependence theory in pursuit of interpreting sanctions and assessing the response strategies of firms to a new political and economic environment, as well as their explanatory variables. Our data will derive from aggregate and firm-level national statistics, corporate registers/databases, other sources of documentary research and our own questionnaires and interviews.

This research is organised around four main questions. The starting question we consider, using both aggregate and firm-level data, is how sanctions have affected Hungarian and Polish exports of goods to and investment presence in Russia and the performance of Hungarian and Polish firms involved in these transactions. The subsequent part of the research explains the above processes by taking a closer look at the specific areas where sanctions have impacted Hungarian and Polish firms, and at the types of difficulties and opportunities they have faced. The third task is to determine how individual Hungarian and Polish firms have responded to the new situation. This part of the project includes the adaptation strategies of firms. Questions to be addressed include whether Hungarian and Polish exporters and investors intend to stay in the Russian market, and if so, whether they are able to do so, and what strategies they apply to seize opportunities and overcome challenges related to sanctions. Finally, the fourth set of questions aims to determine which firm-specific factors influence firm performance and adaptation strategies. These questions cover the characteristics of the firms and their products and activities, such as the length of presence in the Russian market, the degree of dependency on the Russian market in terms of country-specific characteristics of the product or service, the general export experience, the knowledge acquired on a sanctioned market other than Russia or a market with a high level of political instability, and the firm size.

DISSEMINATION/OUTPUTS

Conferences/Workshops

Research papers/Publications

A The impact of sanctions on Hungarian and Polish business in Russia bejegyzés először VGI-én jelent meg.

Leader of the project: HUN-REN CERS, Institute of World Economics, Hungary

Coordinator of the project: John Szabó (HUN-REN CERS Institute of World Economics)

Implementation period: 2024 – 2026

This research project supported by Kulturális és Innovációs Minisztérium, NKFI Alap

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Hydrogen has taken centre stage on the energy scene in the past few years. Many think of it as the “silver bullet” of the green transition, but for it to take on any role policy-makers need to develop a market framework. This project explores how this process is unfolding within the EU. It looks at the political economics of building a market and how various interests clash.

The project’s objective is seemingly quite simple: show how a market emerges. Hydrogen is a new component of the energy system that many expect will play a central role in decarbonisation. Accordingly, the EU began to build a market for this energy carrier, a process which is yet to be mapped. The proposed project will trace which forces and interests configured the policy and regulatory framework that governs the hydrogen market. Various interests ranging from established hydrocarbon companies to practices on how the EU governs electricity and natural gas markets shape the particular configuration of its nascent hydrogen market. I plan to trace this process by drawing on Foucauldian thought. The empirical focus of my work will show how this market emerges, while its theoretical insights show how a market may emerge in a specific context. My goal is to also provide input for policy, as it is crucial that the EU progresses with its green transition quickly and in-line with other ethical considerations.

A The emergence of a European hydrogen market bejegyzés először VGI-én jelent meg.

Leader of the project: Adelphi Research GmbH, Germany

Local coordinator of the project: John Szabó (CERS Institute of World Economics)

Implementation period: 2019 – 2022

This research project supported by The European Climate Initiative (EUKI)

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The project aims to contribute to the successful implementation of the European Green Deal and the achievement of a carbon neutral Europe by enabling a just transition to unfold. It builds an understanding on how the EU’s bid to reduce emissions will affect its automotive industry. The project aims to address the automotive sector’s just transition. Equipped with the new research that the consortium will conduct, the activities under­taken in the project can be a starting point for the development and implementation of a just and climate-friendly transition of the European automotive sector. The dual goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the income security of Europeans seem to clash at this particular conjuncture. Taking the climate crisis seriously means phasing out internal combustion engines as well as shifting to less labour-intensive EVs and less motorised individual mobility. We seek to support the development of a framework and platform that helps European automotive stakeholders devise strategies and initiate communication on how to transform their activities to meet the demands of a carbon neutral global transportation sector in a just manner. The project’s prime goal and thereby planned impact is to set the tone of automotive sector strategies in a way that social justice is at the heart of the actions considered. By raising public awareness, drafting policy proposals and building networks, the project aims to prompt politicians to confront these challenges. It aims to influence national and EU policy discourses, supporting the realisation of climate targets through a just transition.

PROJET’S WEBSITE AND FINAL REPORT

A Just Transition in the European Car industry bejegyzés először VGI-én jelent meg.

DOWNLOAD FINAL REPORT

A GVCs in Central Europe – a perspective of the automotive sector after COVID-19 bejegyzés először VGI-én jelent meg.

A Hungary’s and Estonia’s integration in the global value chains bejegyzés először VGI-én jelent meg.

A Effects of Industry 4.0 on FDI in the Visegrád countries bejegyzés először VGI-én jelent meg.

A Adjustment of the Hungarian and of the Romanian Economies to the Changing International Environment. External and Domestic Challenges, Theoretical Dilemmas, New Strategies bejegyzés először VGI-én jelent meg.

A Gazdasági fejlődés és intézmények a 2010-es évek kihívásai tükrében Kelet-Közép-Európában bejegyzés először VGI-én jelent meg.