Purpose of the Index
The annual Index study should promote greater transparency and accountability in countries' energy sectors, which allow stakeholders to regularly receive comprehensive, up-to-date, and usable information they need to make evidence-based decisions.
Information disclosure is a good practice enabling due monitoring, analysis, assessment, and forecasting necessary for well-grounded and reasonable decision- and policymaking. The Index aims to reduce informational asymmetry, squeeze the prospects for unfair competition, discriminatory and abusive behavior, and corruption while fostering the proper operation of energy markets.
The information gaps and so-called «black boxes» – indicators where data is unavailable – identified by the Index provide the basis for targeted practical recommendations to stakeholders to improve transparency as a critical precondition for better energy markets performance and boosting sustainable development.
The international dimension of the Index brings a competitive spirit and better urges national governments to improve transparency and accountability. Moreover, international comparison facilitates faster and more fruitful dissemination of best practices, speeding up the development of open, competitive, and fair energy markets.
Index in numbers
- 100+ indicators stem from EU legislation and best global practices of transparency and accountability.
- 8 categories and 24 subcategories reflecting various domains of the energy sector operation.
- 2 energy markets (electricity and gas) and cross-sector issues.
- 6 transparency criteria are applied to assess each Index indicator.
Target audience
The Index’s ultimate beneficiaries are consumers, as better awareness allows them to act more economically reasonably while minimizing expenses and increasing benefits. More transparent and competitive energy markets promote the improvement of services for consumers and fair pricing. They will have better opportunities to protect their rights by public monitoring of energy companies and public authorities’ activity. Empowering consumers with better awareness of processes in the energy sector would streamline achieving global sustainable development goals.
Greater transparency reduces business risks for energy companies and promotes more efficient and innovative activity, fair competition, and better relations with investors, the government, and communities. Newcomers and potential participants of energy markets, banks, and other financial institutions will receive better opportunities to assess risks, make investment or market entry decisions, and design a corporate policy. A less risky business environment improves the investment climate and attracts additional resources to the industry facilitating energy transition.
Public authorities receive targeted practical recommendations concerning information and data disclosure and accountability. Assessing the transparency will encourage the elimination of «black boxes», which distort competition and breed corruption.
Foreign partners will have better opportunities to understand national energy markets, objectives, policies, and their implementation, compliance with countries’ international obligations under the Association Agreement with the EU, the Treaty establishing the Energy Community, the Paris Agreement, and other international treaties.
Media, experts, and CSOs will have a clear understanding of gaps and drawbacks in an information disclosure to more effectively advocate the improvement of transparency and accountability in the energy sector.