European Grids Package

Background

The European Union has one of the most extensive and resilient electricity networks in the world. It spans over 11 million kilometres across its internal market and ensures that high-quality electricity is delivered to its consumers every day.

At the same time, the EU’s electricity networks are confronted with new challenges such as insufficient grid capacity to meet growing connection requests both on the demand and supply side, delays in project implementation and security threats.

With a view to reinforcing and modernise Europe’s energy networks, the European Commission presented the European Grids Package in December 2025. The objective is to strengthen cross-border planning and improve the integration of national energy grid systems. The Commission also intends to address infrastructure gaps and support Europe’s transition away from imported fossil fuels.

The Package updates the TEN-E regulatory framework to better reflect EU climate goals and regional needs, creating a more coordinated approach to identifying priority projects across electricity, storage, hydrogen and CO₂ networks. It also accelerates project delivery by simplifying permitting procedures, promoting early public engagement and encouraging the use of smart, digital and grid-enhancing technologies to maximise existing capacity.

The Commission’s proposal also aims to unlock investments, ensuring costs are shared fairly and boost resilience against cyber and physical risks, to prepare Europe’s energy grids for future challenges while supporting a more competitive and interconnected energy system.

Key points

The EESC:

• supports expanding decentralised energy generation, which can reduce the need for grid expansion and strengthen public acceptance of the energy transition; and calls for stronger EU coordination in grid governance while maintaining Member States’ responsibility for planning and oversight when the costs of grid expansion, congestion management and stability are primarily national, and underlines the importance of accelerating the digitalisation of electricity networks and ensuring network development plans align with National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs);
• calls for increased funding under Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and emphasises public co-financing for grid expansion, including through institutions such as the European Investment Bank (EIB), ensuring European value creation, SME participation and timely project delivery while respecting labour-law (as per EU and national law) and collective bargaining, while preventing undue discrimination against certain types of companies or Member States. It also suggests introducing state-backed hybrid capital instruments to reduce financing costs and ensure the advantages are passed on to network users through more affordable tariffs;
• calls for recognising grid expansion as a security-relevant measure and its inclusion in the financing and support mechanisms of the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) Regulation, while ensuring accelerated permitting procedures, by equipping authorities with sufficient resources.

Additional information

Section: Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society (TEN)

Opinion number: TEN/863

Opinion type: Mandatory

Referral: COM(2025) 1005 final COM(2025) 1006 final 2025/0399 COD COM(2025) 1006 final 2025/0399 COD COM(2025) 1007 final 2025/0400 COD

Rapporteur: Thomas Kattnig (Group II - Austria)

Date of adoption by section: 9 March 2026

Result of the vote: 73 in favour, 7 against, 4 abstentions

Date of adoption in plenary: 18-19 March 2026

Result of the vote: 195 in favour, 11 against, 8 abstentions

Contact

Marco Pezzani

Press Officer

Tel.: +32 2 546 9793 | Mob: +32 470 881 903

E-mail: marco.pezzani@eesc.europa.eu 

Giorgia Bordignon

Administrator

Tel.: +32 546 8535

E-mail: giorgiaandrea.bordignon@eesc.europa.eu