Russia has invaded Ukraine, energy is weaponized, and the citizens and businesses in Europe are reducing energy consumption. The energy authorities in Europe are getting ready for a winter in which public communication can become essential.
At a time when communication is instrumentalized, and lies, manipulation and propaganda are used as weapons in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, European energy authorities are betting on openness.
This happens ahead of a winter where energy supply and prices will probably become one of the main topics of discussion around the dinner tables, in the canteens and in the virtual spaces of social media in the European countries.
- Our main priority in communication with our fellow citizens is to be completely transparent and clear, says Fiete Wulff. He is responsible for press and PR at the German energy agency Bundesnetzagentur.
Open German data on energy
The Bundesnetzagentur works in line with the sister authorities in other European countries, among other things, to make open data available to the public that affects the energy supply situation.
- We use five indicators to give the public and the decision-makers in government a picture of the situation: Temperature, gas demand, storage level, the situation in Germany's neighbouring countries and balancing (whether the supply balances with the demand in the gas grid, ed.), Fiete Wulff explains.
Based on the situational picture, it is up to the German government to decide the level of preparedness, and it is the task of the German Energy Agency to draw up a forecast for the following days continuously.
Polish focus on accessibility
On the other side of the border, at Poland's energy agency Urząd Regulacji Energetyki [Energy Regulatory Office], transparency is also a high priority.
- In recent years, we have focused on making our communication transparent and understandable. We are far more proactive than we were before. Three years ago, for example, we had no official profiles on social media, head of communications Barbara Mroczek says.
That's all different now. The agency has opened accounts on Twitter and Linkedin and has given its website an overhaul. Barbara Mroczek and her colleagues have made it a strategic focus area to make the agency's work more accessible and understandable to the public.
- If I, as communications manager, do not understand what we intend to communicate, then we cannot expect the citizens to understand it, says Barbara Mroczek.
In a democracy, you have the right to know
The open communication from the authorities is perhaps not what most significantly affects the cohesion of the European countries and the citizens' willingness to stand against the Russian use of energy as a means of pressure on the European continent this winter.
Prices and energy supply leave immediate marks in European homes' wallets and heating pipes.
Therefore, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU countries have cooperated to fill the reserve stocks of gas and free themselves from Russian energy dependence. At a meeting on the 24th of November 2022 the EU's energy ministers in the EU's Council of Ministers agreed on the joint purchase of gas and several other initiatives put in place to stem rising gas and consumer prices.
But openness from the authorities is part of the backbone and heart of our societies. The openness contributes to the fact that, as a citizen, one can be critical towards the authorities that work to serve you. And at the same time, citizens might be more inclined to trust what public authorities communicate.
- In a democracy, people have the right to know.
Fiete Wulff
And openness is not just a means to an end. It is an ethical, moral and ideological basic condition in our society, in contrast to what it is in authoritarian forms of government. In the words of Fiete Wulff:
- In a democracy, people have the right to know.
Increased demand for communication
The communication and press units of the European authorities responsible for energy supply face a potentially hectic winter together with their colleagues. All the energy agencies in all European countries face the same challenge.
Polish Urząd Regulacji Energetyki has, until now, had an 11 per cent increase in unique website users and a 20 per cent increase in the number of press inquiries in 2022 compared to 2021.
German Bundesnetzagentur doesn’t have specific statistics, but according to Fiete Wulff, demand has also increased significantly.
In both countries, the energy agencies work with website information, data integration, key messages to the public, press and social media and everything else that supports the public being informed about the energy supply situation, prices, and the importance of reducing energy consumption.
No cooperation on communication between European energy authorities
Currently, the communication functions of the European energy agencies cooperate intensively within their borders with other authorities. But there is no cooperation and no knowledge sharing about communication between the countries, even though both Barbara Mroczek and Fiete Wulff believe that it could be a good idea.
- We ought to collaborate more with the communication colleagues in our European sister authorities. If others have already developed solutions that work, it is a waste of resources to make your own, Barbara Mroczek points out.
- We ought to collaborate more with the communication colleagues in our European sister authorities.
Barbara Mroczek
Her colleagues from the Polish energy agency participate in networks with the authorities in other European countries, and she would, in principle, be able to use them as a kind of proxy to coordinate or share knowledge about communication. But it wouldn’t be the same.
Lack of resources
- It would be good to share experiences flexibly and directly, e.g. via online meetings. Of course, there are going to be differences. But the main output is to learn how others deal with the difficult situation we are in right now regarding communication, she explains.
Fiete Wulff agrees but points out, like Barbara Mroczek, that there is a lack of resources to step up any greater cooperation between the countries.
- Of course, it would help to cooperate and coordinate with our European partners in terms of communication. But our resources currently do not allow us to push for it, let alone start it up, says the German Energy Agency's communications manager.
No one knows if it will be a long and cold winter in Europe and if the situation will get much worse than it already is. No one knows whether the energy agencies of European countries face a much greater demand for communication than they do now.
The communication departments of the European energy authorities are very busy, resources are scarce, and priorities must be set. But a long way down the road, it is probably the same policies, strategies, messages, homepage FAQs, and practices they develop.
Perhaps the question is whether there are resources to refrain from strengthening cooperation?
Read more
- European Council on European countries' cooperation on energy prices and energy supply in light of the war in Ukraine
- European Council - infographic on three EU-coordinated measures to reduce energy prices
Support Ukraine
Support Ukraine. Russian rocket and drone strikes have destroyed Ukraine's power supply and other civilian infrastructure, and millions of Ukrainians are freezing. You can contribute by donating to one of the organizations working to help Ukrainians through the winter. Below is a selection.
English 
Dansk