Energy Policy & Security of the EU
Mgr. Lenka Martínková
Energy Policy & Security of the EU

Course Description

Energy transition, skyrocketing prices of energy, reliance on imports from authoritarian and openly hostile regimes, weaponization of energy supplies, energy poverty, social aspects of energy use, or looming impoverishment of once proud coal regions. These are just a few examples of the major challenges faced by many countries around the world, including the European Union. The summer school aims to thoroughly examine both recent and long-term developments, plans, and policies of the EU influenced by the development of the global energy environment. The carefully selected lecturers will help the students to unveil the logic and motivation behind them, understand the reasons, tools, and effects, and to perceive the effect on the industrial and social sectors.


The presented summer school provides its students with deep insight into these challenges and, using interactive tools and in-class discussions, cultivates the students’ ability to interpret them within the complex patchwork of European climate and energy policy. Misunderstanding of differences and specifics in different EU regions creates unnecessary friction and may result in disputes. Therefore, the summer school focuses on stressing the multidisciplinary nature of the topic. Besides the primary goal of providing orientation in the field of energy security and related challenges, the summer school also provides a platform for a dialogue aiming to overcome ideological gaps between different concepts and attitudes to the issues mentioned above.


The school spans over two weeks. The first week is dedicated mainly to the internal dimension of the European energy policy and sets the stage for the second week, during which contemporary geopolitical challenges and domestic issues are discussed. An integral part of the curriculum is a discussion session with Vaclav Bartuska, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affair's Special Envoy for Energy Security, and a session on supply security and geopolitics led by James Henderson, Director of Natural Gas Programme of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.



The curriculum requires no specific previous knowledge, and all information is presented in non-technical language. Students of all fields and degrees are welcome.


The summer school has a rich history spanning over ten years with 202 satisfied graduates of 35 nationalities from around the world.


About the Team

Filip Černoch: The head of the Energy Policy Studies program at the Masaryk University and the coordinator for energy policy research. His primary research interests are energy transitions, environmental dimension of energy policy, and German energy policy.

Hedvika Koďousková: Her majors cover energy & society, energy policies, and energy poverty. She is currently mapping the sociospatial distribution of energy vulnerability in the Czech Republic as part of the applied research project funded by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TK03010086).

In the past, Lenka worked on strategy for the Czech transmission system operator ČEPS, a.s.. Later, she joined the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, working on energy strategy & international energy relations, ultimately becoming the Deputy Minister responsible for the Energy section. Upon leaving the Ministry, Lenka served for 4 years as the Executive Director of the Czech Gas Association, an umbrella organization representing the interests of the Czech gas industry at home and also abroad and issuing technical standards for the gas sector. Since June 2022, she has worked as an independent energy & PA consultant for multiple Czech and foreign companies. In 2022, she also co-founded International Public Affairs Academy CZ, where she serves as its managing partner.

James Henderson: Head of Gas Research at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES), who has been writing for and working with the Institute since 2010. He produces research for both the Gas and Oil Programmes covering Russia and CIS issues as well as global energy matters that affect the region.

Jan Osička: Student advisor for the Energy Policy Studies program. He is also one of the leaders of the European Consortium for Political Research's group for energy policy research. Jan's research interests include trade in energy commodities, cross-border impacts of energy policy reforms, and energy transitions.

Lenka Kovačovská: is a graduate of the Prague University of Economics and Business, the Faculty of International Relations (both master's & Ph.D. studies). For 7 years, she has been teaching a course Geopolitics of Energy in the 21st century at the same Faculty.

Lenka Martínková: Obtained a master's degree at the Faculty of Social Studies of Masaryk University in 2018 in the field of International Relations. She is currently a doctoral student in the International Relations and European Studies program with a focus on Middle East Energy Security. She works as a KMVES assistant. She specializes in the Middle East region, with a specific focus on conflicts, foreign policy, and energy security of the Persian Gulf countries. Lenka has a Traineeship Experience from the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Tehran, in 2022.

Lukáš Lehotský: Interested in energy efficiency, the future of coal, and research methods, especially network analysis and text analysis. He enjoys teaching students to program in the R programming language.

Martin Jirušek, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at Masaryk University, Czech Republic, and Managing Editor of the Czech Journal of Political Science. He also works as a consultant and analyst. Martin has conducted several research projects in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and the United States. He received a Fulbright research scholarship and spent ten months as a visiting researcher at George Washington University in Washington, DC (2021/2022). He was also selected for the International Visitors Leadership Program run by the United States Department of State (2019). He also obtained the Center for European Policy Analysis´s James S. Denton Transatlantic Fellowship (2019). Martin regularly publishes in peer-reviewed journals and reputable publishing houses, such as Palgrave Macmillan, Elsevier, etc. In his work, Martin focuses on geopolitics, energy security, central and eastern Europe, Russia, the United States, and the transatlantic dimension of energy security.

Tomáš Vlček: In addition to being the founder of the energy security summer school, you may also encounter Tomáš at Czech Nuclear Education Network. His research focuses on security of supply and diversification, the nuclear energy industry, and energy policy of post-communist Europe.

Václav Bartuška: Works as Special Envoy for Energy Security at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic


Lecture Topics

Lecture time slots and location 


The lectures will take place at Komenského náměstí 2, Brno in room S112 in the following time slots:

First lecture of the day from 9:00 to 10:30.

Second lecture of the day from 10:45 to 12:15.

Third lecture of the day from 13:30 to 15:00 (if applicable).


Project and project presentations


The students will be tasked with a project aiming at the issue of the energy trilemma. In groups of three, students will prepare a policy paper and a presentation on how to balance the energy trilemma in a country of choice. Students will be able to work on the project during the summer school. The presentations will be given and evaluated at the last session of the summer school. Details will be provided at the beginning of the two-week program. 


Readings for the course

Pre-Requisites 


The curriculum requires no specific previous knowledge, and all information is presented in non-technical language. Students of all fields and degrees are welcome.





Nyní studovat

1) EU energy policy principles I (F. Černoch) 2) EU energy policy principles II (F. Černoch)

Kapitola obsahuje:
6
PDF
2
Studijní materiály
1
Studijní text
Učitel doporučuje studovat nyní – od 14. 7. 2025 do 27. 7. 2025.
Nyní studovat
Kapitola obsahuje:
1
PDF
1
Studijní text
Učitel doporučuje studovat nyní – od 21. 7. 2025 do 27. 7. 2025.
Kapitola obsahuje:
1
Studijní materiály
1
Studijní text
Učitel doporučuje studovat od 28. 7. 2025 do 3. 8. 2025.
Učitel doporučuje studovat od 4. 8. 2025 do 10. 8. 2025.
Kapitola obsahuje:
6
PDF
2
Studijní materiály
Učitel doporučuje studovat od 11. 8. 2025 do 17. 8. 2025.
Kapitola obsahuje:
2
Studijní materiály
Učitel doporučuje studovat od 18. 8. 2025 do 24. 8. 2025.
Kapitola obsahuje:
1
Studijní materiály
Učitel doporučuje studovat od 25. 8. 2025 do 31. 8. 2025.
Kapitola obsahuje:
6
PDF
Učitel doporučuje studovat od 1. 9. 2025 do 7. 9. 2025.
Učitel doporučuje studovat od 22. 9. 2025 do 28. 9. 2025.



Předchozí