The introduction of electromobility contributes to an increase in energy efficiency and lower air pollution. European countries have not been among the world’s leading countries in this statistic. In addition, there have been different paces in the implementation of electromobility in individual countries. The main purpose of this paper is to determine the directions of change and the degrees of concentration in electromobility in European Union (EU) countries, especially after the economic closure as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The specific objectives are to indicate the degree of concentration of electromobility in the EU and changes in this area, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic; to determine the dynamics of changes in the number of electric cars in individual EU countries, showing the variability in this aspect, while also taking into account the crisis caused by COVID-19; to establish the association between the number of electric cars and the parameters of the economy. All EU countries were selected for study by the use of the purposeful selection procedure, as of December 31, 2020. The analyzed period covered the years 2011–2020. It was found that in the longer term, the development of electromobility in the EU, measured by the number of electric cars, is closely related to the economic situation in this area. The crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the economic situation in all EU countries, but has not slowed down the pace of introducing electromobility, and may have even accelerated it. In all EU countries, in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the dynamics of introducing electric cars into use increased. The growth rate in the entire EU in 2020 was 86%, while in 2019 it was 48%. The reason was a change in social behavior related to mobility under conditions of risk of infection. COVID-19 has become a positive catalyst for change. The prospects for the development of this type of transport are very good because activities related to the development of the electromobility sector perfectly match the needs related to the reduction of pollution to the environment.

The main aim of this paper was to determine changes in renewable energy production in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The specific objectives were to assess the degree of concentration of renewable energy and the pace of changes in the volume of production of this energy from individual sources in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as to determine the structure according to renewable energy sources to show the directions of changes. Central and Eastern Europe countries were covered in the research, meaning that a total of 23 countries were included in the analysis. The data used in the study was obtained from the IRENA and World Bank databases. The research period covered the years from 2011 to 2019. For data analysis, the following methods were used: Index methods, Gini coefficient, Lorenz curve, and Grade Data Analysis. The development of the renewable energy sector and modernisation of the energy structure are of great importance for countries to meet their climate obligations. Large-scale energy production from renewable sources could reduce a 60% reduction in the temperature rise. Additionally, such activities will contribute to an increase in energy efficiency by 90%. The energy transition would also bring more comprehensive social and environmental benefits. Thus far, researchers have dealt with energy consumption-related problems in Central and Eastern Europe countries. This article focuses on the production of renewable energy in countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The article fills the research gap in this area. It refers to the situation in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe at a time when developing renewable energy has become very important. In our analysis, we examine renewable energy production in countries located in one region but are and are not EU members. Thanks to this, it will be possible to observe differences in terms of belonging to economic groups. In the case of the pace of changes and the structure of renewable energy produced, a difference can be found between the EU member countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the group of countries outside the EU. The fastest renewable energy production growth was achieved in EU member countries of Central and Eastern Europe. In the case of the mentioned countries, the production of solar, wind, and bioenergy was developed. In other countries, hydropower production was set and treated as a traditional energy source. Generally, in countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the development of energy based on renewable energy sources was not dependent on the pace of economic development of the country. Decision-makers in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe should develop the production of renewable energy from sources that are the easiest and cheapest to use. This is the only way to increase the production of renewable energy in developing countries.

The main purpose of this paper is to present the differences in the volume of energy consumption in transport in the EU (European Union) countries. The specific objectives aim to determine the directions of changes and the degree of concentration in the volume of energy utilized by the transport sector in EU states, showing various models in this area, to establish the association between energy absorption and the parameters of the economy and in the field of transport. All EU countries were selected for research by the use of the purposeful selection method as of 31 December 2018. The analyzed period covered the years 2004–2018. For the examination of data, grading data analysis was used as one of the methods of multivariate data analysis. Descriptive, tabular and graphic methods were used to present the results. Findings reveal that there is a general tendency to reduce total energy consumption in the EU countries. The same is the case of energy in transport. Only in 2016–2018 was there an increase in energy absorption in transport. The reason was the better economic situation in this period. Road conveyance is the most important factor in energy utilization (over 90%). The share of other modes of transport was very small. Economically developing countries were the fastest in increasing energy absorption in transport per capita. In turn, highly developed states recorded slight growth and were stable in this aspect. There was a close relationship between energy utilization in transport per capita and GDP per capita. The reduction of energy consumption in transport depends on changes in road haulage, e.g., the pace of introducing innovative energy-saving technologies in automotive transport.

The main purpose of this paper is to assess energy consumption with a breakdown into main sectors of the countries that belong to the Visegrad Group. The specific objectives aim to determine changes in energy absorption, its productivity, structure by sectors and to show the similarities of the Visegrad Group countries to the other EU states in terms of the sectoral energy absorption structure. All members of the Visegrad group, i.e., Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, were purposefully selected for the study as of 31 December 2018. The research period covered the years 1990–2018. The sources of gathered information were the literature on the subject and OECD data. The following methods were used for the analysis and presentation of materials: explanations, tabular and graphical depictions, descriptive statistics, dynamics indicators, and cluster analysis performed with the following methods: k-means, hierarchical agglomerative clusters and DIvisive ANAlysis (DIANA). There is a limited number of previous studies on the relationship between the national level of economic development and energy consumption in different sectors of industry. Additionally, there are no such analytical projects concerning EU states. The article fills the research gap in this area. It was established that the dynamics of productivity growth over the nine years (2010–2018) was similar in the countries of the Visegrad group and on average for the EU. This means that the members of the Visegrad group did not actually improve their energy efficiency as compared to the EU average. The reason may be the increasingly faster implementation of modern technologies in developed economies of Western Europe as compared to the developing countries, which include the members of the Visegrad group. The conversion of the economy had a very large impact on changing the structure of energy absorption by sector. Industry and agriculture lost their importance. On the other hand, the transport and service sectors benefited. As a result of the cluster analysis, all EU (European Union) states were divided into four groups. Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary found themselves in one group, along with most Western European countries. This may mean that the economies of these states have become unified with highly developed economic systems. Slovakia found itself in the group of states with a greater importance of industry. The study complements the contribution to the theory. From a practical point of view, it shows the impact of economic transformation on changes in energy consumption in individual sectors, which may be a model of transition in this area.