The EU’s energy security framework successfully tested to ensure winter preparedness

To ensure preparedness in energy supply in winter 2024-2025, the European Commission organised a comprehensive exercise to test the resilience of the EU security of supply framework. It rigorously tested under extremely severe conditions, also in view of the end of the transit of gas from Russia through Ukraine from 31 December 2024.

The exercise confirmed that the EU is well prepared and well-equipped in terms of security of gas supply to face the most severe and unlikely scenarios. Feedback was also provided to further increase the resilience of the EU’s energy security framework. In all situations, the capacity of cooperation and coordination of the Commission and EU countries, with the support of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (ENTSOG) and including with Moldova and Ukraine, proved effective and essential to the energy security of Europe.

The exercise tested in particular the measures adopted and reinforced in the past 2 years and analysed the interactions between the gas and electricity sectors. This 2024 exercise gathered around 70 participants representing the vast majority of EU countries as well as for the first time, Ukraine, Moldova and the Energy Community Secretariat. Transmission system operators for gas and electricity were also invited, as well as ENTSOG and the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSOE).

Since the first exercise in 2022, the EU has equipped itself with reinforced legislation and other measures, and EU countries have updated their preventive action plans and emergency plans to prevent and manage gas crises, mitigating their impact. The EU gas system has also evolved thanks to new capacities, including additional LNG import terminals, while significantly reducing Russian gas imports.

Together with the wider framework, all the new measures, as well as solidarity mechanisms have been tested under extremely severe conditions including major supply disruptions.

This simulation exercise helps testing procedures and measures that have never been activated in real terms thanks to the resilience of the EU gas system. It is also an opportunity for the Commission and EU countries to share good practices and to identify elements that can further enhance the current architecture, in particular in view of reviewing the energy security framework.

Related links 

• Energy security