Report on semi-­structured interviews INTRODUCTION Our desk research showed that the process of energy trans­formation in southeast Europe(SEE) is slow, and that addi­tional effort and investment is needed to expedite it. Expert interviews were used to further explore the hypotheses that inclusive energy transition in southeast Europe will contrib­ute to positive change, and that this change will be reflect­ed in democratic and economic development. In particular, this hypothesis expects that the change will appear in citi­zens’ participation in decision-making and economic devel­opment in rural areas, increasing local value and decreasing unemployment as well as positively affecting rural-urban migration and increasing decentralisation. It also seeks to measure the extent to which inclusive energy transition can contribute to peacebuilding and intergovernmental cooper­ation. METHODOLOGY demic on inclusive energy transition; the political context, especially the potential for transnational cooperation; the fi­nancial framework and investments; and energy poverty and employment in the energy sector, as well as potential for green jobs and better alignment of the labour market and education system. Participants were asked the following questions: – What is in your opinion an inclusive energy transition, and what does it entail? What would be the main indi­cators of an inclusive energy transition? Could you may­be identify the main obstacles and potentials for inclu­sive energy transition? – In your opinion, what are the main obstacles and what are the main potentials for the use of renewable energy sources in your country? Do you think that the climate and energy targets for your country are ambitious enough and will they be reached? We mapped the stakeholders relevant to the energy transi­tion process. More than 170 decision makers; energy ex­perts from agencies, institutes and non-governmental or civil society organisations; politicians; academics; and grass­roots activists in nine countries, as well as a few experts working in European organisations, were identified and contacted with a request to participate in a semi-structured interview on the inclusive energy transition in their country/ region. In total, 59 stakeholders expressed interest in partic­ipating in the interview(37 per cent of the contacted stake­holders). Sixty-three per cent of the stakeholders did not re­spond to multiple requests. The stakeholders in Romania and Bulgaria were the most reluctant to participate, and these countries had the lowest response rate. The average duration of the interview was one hour. Despite the effort made to reach all relevant sectors and have a balanced overview, the majority of the participants (42 per cent) came from non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Nineteen per cent of the interviewees were from ac­ademia, 12 per cent from the public sector, and the rest, with shares below 1 per cent, from international institutions, government, local authorities, trade unions, national parlia­ments, an opposition political party and grassroots activists. The interviews were semi-structured, and participants were encouraged to give additional input in accordance with their experience and role in the transition processes. The inter­viewers took the liberty of skipping some of the questions if the answers were already given in some other context or the interviewee expressed reluctance to answer the question. The questions were grouped in categories around the main indicators as follows: the inclusiveness of the energy transi­tion and citizens’ participation in innovative policy making; the potential for renewable energy sources(RES); the role of regional political and economic initiatives in the inclusive en­ergy transition process and how this process effects region­al political and economic systems; the effects of the pan­– How is the possibility of an inclusive energy transition in SEE connected to initiatives by the Regional Coopera­tion Council or in the Energy Community? How is it re­lated to the EU’s Green Deal as well as to other regional initiatives and political developments in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic? What are the obstacles? – Do you maybe know which laws in the field of energy are harmonised with the European framework? What is the status of development of the National Energy and Climate Plan(NECP)? – To what extent, in your opinion, is the inclusive energy transition present in the political discourse? In your opinion, what should be done to speed up the inclusive energy transition process in your country regarding the political framework? – To what extent are civil society organisations involved in shaping public energy and climate policies? – What opportunities are connected to an inclusive energy transition in terms of the economy? What are best prac­tices for economic alternatives, different collaboration models that could inspire an inclusive energy transition? – Is there a favourable environment for investments? Are the benefits of investing and participating in the energy transition presented? – Is energy poverty recognised by the authorities, treated in legislation and monitored properly? Is it elaborated in the NECP? – What are the opportunities associated with an inclusive energy transition in terms of employment? To what ex­tent is economic migration present in your country? Do certain unions influence the energy transition and in what way? 61