DG Energy News

Soaring energy prices since last autumn, followed by Russia’s unjustified aggression on Ukraine, have put the European energy market to a test. If the ambitious objectives of the European Green Deal were to be maintained, Europe needed a plan to manage tight global energy supply, rising inflation and insecurities that accompany a military conflict within close proximity.

There is a double urgency to transform Europe's energy system: ending the EU's dependence on Russian fossil fuels, which are used as an economic and political weapon and cost European taxpayers nearly €100 billion per year, and tackling the climate crisis.

The Commission has launched a new call for proposals for key cross-border EU energy infrastructure projects under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for Energy. Applications for funding must be submitted by 1 September 2022 [17:00 CET].

The Commission has set up a new Task Force within its Directorate-General for Energy, to provide support to the EU Energy Platform and implement the REPowerEU goal of supply diversification.

A multi-country flagship workshop on permit-granting processes for renewable energy projects discussed the options that Member States have in order to accelerate the permitting process, gathering the experience and good practices that have been identified at the Member State level.

This new EU-wide public database enables consumers to compare the energy efficiency class and other data about different household products.

The European Commission welcomed the progress in integrating Ukraine and Moldova into the European electricity market, as confirmed today by the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E).

The new rules, against the backdrop of Russia's war against Ukraine, will ensure security of energy supply across the EU each winter.

The European Commission welcomed the adoption of the sixth package of restrictive measures against Russia, which contains a complete import ban on all Russian seaborne crude oil and petroleum products. This covers 90% of our current oil imports from Russia.

The need to heat a given building has decreased over time: only 89% of the heating needs were required in 2021 compared with 1979.

This year, country-specific recommendations include recommendations for reducing the dependency on fossil fuels through reforms and investments, in line with the REPowerEU priorities and the European Green Deal.