Publication

This report discusses the political context, the legal status and the future of shale gas exploration in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Romania. The authors argue that there has been a change in attitudes toward domestic deposits and potential production of shale gas. In all three countries, parts of the political class saw the growing public concern over the production of shale gas as an effective tool for the consolidation and mobilization of the electorate, or even as an asset in ongoing political battles with their opponents. Foreign companies interested in the production of shale gas have failed to establish united and effective interest groups.