Key points
In response to the European Commission's communication on "Strengthening Europe's energy networks" (COM(2017)718 final), the European Economic and Social Committee shares the view that a sufficiently interconnected European energy grid is a prerequisite for achieving the aim of the Energy Union: to provide affordable, secure and sustainable energy that makes the energy transition to a low-carbon economy possible in a competitive way; considers that investments in grid infrastructure should be implemented with the same intensity as other energy investments, and in particular in coordination with the expansion of renewables; calls on the Commission and the Member States to draw up two-yearly monitoring reports on the achievement of the renewable development targets and national and transnational network; suggests that actively involving organised civil society in the design phases of the interconnection projects can help to mitigate the lack of public support for some projects; recommends supplementing the country interconnection share indicator with monitoring of interconnection shares per geographical area (such as the Iberian peninsula), and incorporating indicators monitoring price differences between wholesale markets with a view to prioritising implementation of PCIs in the areas where price differences are greater; and calls for a review of the budget available for supporting interconnection projects, since the current allocations might be insufficient to achieve the targets set.