Global challenges like energy supply, water scarcity and climate change are strongly interconnected and must be solved in a cross-border approach that needs a common understanding of sustainability principles. For that purpose transnational organizations are needed to address these challenges. Within this publication we have a special focus on Europe and MENA.Sustainable energy visions for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) often follow the narratives of top-down planning approaches, such as large transcontinental power exchange schemes with Europe or prestigious renewable energy roadmaps laid out by national governments in the region. The recent setback of some of these concepts raises the question whether alternative ways exist to portray the transitions of MENA energy systems. We argue that the concept of transition research theory - in particular the multi-level perspective (MLP) - can be a helpful tool to better understand and delineate the complex processes of change and find new narratives for the energy system transition in the MENA region towards more sustainability.