The conception of the Energy Union presented in spring 2014 by then Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, met with varied reception. Its adoption by the new European Commission as one of the leading themes for the coming years is an indication that this project will at the same time be an important area, around which negotiations will take place in the coming months. As usual in such cases, various interested circles in the member states have taken positions on this project, and have also assessed the potential stances of other countries in the EU – sometimes guided by conjecture, stereotypes, or on the basis of fragmented, incomplete information.

In order to get a broader picture of the real views of entities influencing energy policy in given countries and to show the similarities and differences that exist in this field between member states of the EU, the Institute of Public Affairs from Poland conducted a research project presenting the opinions of members of political, economic/business and scientific elites from France, Germany, Poland, and Great Britain on the subject of the Energy Union and the potential for cooperation between countries of the EU in this field.