The Commission has launched today a call for evidence and open public consultation related to the legal framework on European grids. The feedback received will feed into the Commission’s work on the European Grids Package, foreseen for publication before the end of 2025. Following today’s launch, interested parties have until 8 July 2025 to provide input, via the links provided.
Given the critical role of grids for integrating affordable renewable energy and supporting electrification, a European Grids Package was announced as part of the Competitiveness Compass for the EU and the Clean Industrial Deal. The key objective of this initiative will be to help upgrade and expand grids to support rapid electrification and speed up permitting, as highlighted in the Mission Letter to Commissioner Jørgensen. Ensuring a well-integrated and optimised European energy grid is crucial to accelerating a competitive, cost-efficient and clean energy transition to support EU’s decarbonisation efforts for 2030 and 2050.
Without investment in grid expansion, modernisation, digitalisation, and flexibility, connection delays will increase, and renewables and electrification will stall. In May 2022, the Commission estimated that €584 billion in grid investments are needed before the end of this decade to meet the REPowerEU objectives. In November 2023, the Commission already published a Grid Action Plan to accelerate the expansion, modernisation and digitalisation of grids. The European Grid Package will build on this, providing more concrete details for supporting the modernisation of the existing infrastructure to make it more efficient and an expansion of grids based on optimised network planning and cross sector integration. The Action plan for affordable energy from February 2025 also states that the European Grid Package will include legislative proposals to accelerate permitting for grids, storage and renewables.
Background
The Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E) Regulation is the main act providing the legal framework for cross-border energy infrastructure. Following a full evaluation in 2020, the TEN-E Regulation was revised to be aligned with the European Green Deal’s objectives and entered into force in 2022. The main changes concerned the inclusion of hydrogen infrastructure in its scope, as well as a strengthened focus on offshore grids to facilitate achieving the offshore ambitions set out in the EU offshore renewable strategy. The TEN-E framework now also includes Projects of Mutual Interest (PMIs) – cross-border projects with neighbouring non-EU countries.
