Active involvement of citizens in the low-carbon energy transition has the potential to make a critical contribution to achieving the goals of the transition. The pathways to the energy transition are reliant on citizen engagement with energy-related topics and citizen awareness of energy justice and the environmental effects of individual choices. This comprehensive report, co-authored by the Center for the Study of Democracy, analyses the results of over 80 in-depth interviews with experts in local energy systems in eight countries, including Bulgaria.

The study looks into the reasons for local citizens' (dis)engagement with the energy transition and energy initiatives. It aims to capture the experts’ perspectives on the current framing of the energy transition and energy citizenship as well as challenges, also such that may be rooted in inter- and intra-social processes. The report also explores the inclusiveness of the debates on the energy transition and energy citizenship in these countries.