Cross-border energy flows are key to supplying electricity and gas to the various EU Member States. This means energy infrastructure must be upgraded through interconnectors between neighbouring countries to increase the Union's sustainable energy capacity.

In the opinion requested by the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU, adopted at its plenary on 18 January 2024, the EESC delivered a clear message on this issue.

The EU should pay particular attention to grid developments, and substantial investment must be made to stimulate the European economy and create high-quality jobs that are respectful of the environment.

"We at the EESC believe that, in order to achieve the green transition and strategic energy autonomy, it is fundamentally important to make a structural change to our energy system," said EESC president, Oliver Röpke, during the debate held in conjunction with the adoption of the opinion.

The Minister of Energy for Belgium, Tinne Van der Straeten, stressed that the clean energy transition, born out of climate necessity, was now an economic and security imperative, and that interconnection created a more flexible system that could balance geographic variations in wind and solar generation.

"Europe's ambitions for renewable energy currently exceed its plans in terms of infrastructure, so we need these trans-European infrastructures fast. And they need to be cost-efficient, secure, sustainable and flexible," she said. (mp)