European Commission: Mitigating the energy crisis – Commission proposes short and long-term measures

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Our AccelerateEU strategy will bring both immediate and structural relief measures for European citizens and businesses. We need to accelerate the transition to indigenous, clean energy. This gives us energy independence and security and means we can better weather geopolitical storms.”

EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen said: “Europe is facing another fossil fuel crisis. This must be a wake-up call and a turning point. With AccelerateEU, we are supporting our Member States to provide immediate help to those who are struggling the most in our society, while doubling down on the transition to a clean economy and electrification. This is the only way to ensure a stable, secure, clean and affordable energy supply for all Europeans.”

Geopolitical situation

Since the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, the EU has spent an additional 24 billion euros on energy imports due to higher prices, without receiving a single additional molecule of energy. The current geopolitical situation underlines that accelerating the transition to clean, secure and affordable energy is an economic and security imperative. 

“AccelerateEU” includes both short-term and structural measures with a longer-term impact to further reduce dependence on volatile fossil fuel markets and strengthen Europe’s resilience to future risks based on clean, domestic energy and electrification.

Proposed actions 

The Commission proposes the following actions:

• Coordination is key. The Commission will ensure that measures are fully coordinated at Member State level. This includes the refilling of underground gas storage facilities, the use of flexibilities in the rules on filling or the exceptional release of oil reserves. The Oil and Gas Coordination Groups meet frequently to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the situation among Member States. National emergency measures and measures to ensure the availability of jet fuel and diesel fuel, including the availability of production capacity for oil refineries, should also be closely coordinated. 
• A new Fuels Observatory will be set up to track production, imports, exports and stocks of transport fuels in the EU. This will make it possible to quickly identify potential shortages and take targeted measures to maintain a balanced fuel distribution in the event of emergency stock releases. To mitigate the impact of high fuel prices and potential fuel shortages on EU aviation, the Commission will also provide clarity on the existing flexibility options within the EU aviation framework. 
• Timely, targeted and temporary measures. Protecting consumers, including industry, from price spikes may include targeted income support schemes, energy vouchers and social leasing schemes, as well as a reduction in excise duties on electricity for financially vulnerable households. The Commission will also adopt a Temporary Framework for State Aid that will provide additional flexibility to national governments, including immediate measures to support the most vulnerable sectors of the economy.
• Accelerating the shift to domestic clean energy to replace fossil fuels. The Commission will present an action plan on electrification by the summer. It will include an ambitious electrification target and measures to remove barriers to electrification in the industry, transport and construction sectors. The swift implementation of the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan is crucial to accelerate the uptake of sustainable aviation fuels 
• Expanding the grids. Electrification must be accompanied by a fit-for-purpose network. First steps are to ensure that existing legislation is fully implemented and that negotiations on the European grid package are concluded swiftly. Another measure is to maximize the existing renewable energy infrastructure. The rapid repowering of large wind farms and renewable installations, including offshore wind farms and hydropower plants, can quickly provide much-needed additional relief. The Commission will also put forward a legislative proposal on grid charges and taxes, which will, among other things, ensure that electricity is taxed less than fossil fuels. 
• Stimulating investment. Significant funding is available at EU level, e.g. €219 billion under the Recovery and Resilience Facility and cohesion policy funds. In the current crisis, speed and impact are paramount. The Commission will support Member States in making the best use of available EU funds. However, public funds alone will not cover the considerable investment needs (660 billion euros per year until 2030) for the energy transition. To mobilize private investment, the Commission therefore adopted a Clean Energy Investment Strategy in March 2026. The Commission will organize a Clean Energy Investment Summit involving the financial services industry, including large institutional investors, industry leaders, project developers and public financiers, to accelerate private financing 

Background

With today’s AccelerateEU Communication, the Commission is responding to the request made by EU leaders at the European Council on 19 March to “develop a set of targeted instruments to mobilize private investment for the clean energy transition”. March to present “a toolbox of targeted temporary measures to address the recent price spikes in imported fossil fuels resulting from the crisis in the Middle East”.  It is part of the Commission’s dynamic response, which will evolve as the situation develops. The measures will be discussed by EU leaders at the informal European Council in Cyprus on April 23-24.

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Further links

👉 https://commission.europa.eu/index_de  

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