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Energy

European grids

Energy grids are central to strengthening the EU’s energy infrastructure. Energy must flow efficiently across EU countries to accelerate electrification and help lower energy prices and support affordable living for all Europeans. 

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The EU has one of the most extensive and resilient electricity networks in the world, spanning over 11 million kilometres across its internal market, ensuring that high-quality electricity is delivered to its consumers every day. 

At the same time, Europe’s power networks are confronted with new and significant 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.

In this context, the Commission presented the European Grids Package on 10 December 2025, following the EU Action Plan for Grids adopted in November 2023. The process leading to the final package included a call for evidence and an open public consultation which were open from 13 May to 5 August 2025.

European Grids Package

The European Grids Package aims to address the key challenges for cross-border energy infrastructure in the EU.

It focuses on

  • better coordination at EU level to map and plan the required grids infrastructure
  • more effective tools for cost-sharing, ensuring projects are funded in a fairer and more equitable way
  • speeding up and streamlining permitting processes for grids, renewables, storage and recharging stations projects, while ensuring public acceptance and benefit-sharing
  • making existing infrastructure more efficient, reinforced by new technology, flexibility, and storage capacity
  • enhancing the resilience and security of our cross-border energy infrastructure

The package consists of the following elements

Guidance on efficient and timely grid connections

The Guidance on efficient and timely grid connections provides recommendations and shares good practices that EU countries and national regulatory authorities can apply to address these challenges immediately and make the most efficient use of existing grids. These include applying the ‘first-ready first-served’ principle, transparent maturity criteria for all connection requests, establishing clear project-development milestones with associated penalties for non-compliance, and conducting regular monitoring and cleaning of the connection queues.

A European Grid Action Plan

As part of the European Green Deal, the Commission published a Grid Action Plan (COM/2023/757) in November 2023.

It highlighted that electricity consumption in the EU is expected to increase by around 60% by 2030. Our networks therefore have to become more digitalised, decentralised and flexible. With 40% of our distribution grids being over 40 years old, and cross-border transmission capacity due to double by 2030, €584 billion in investments are necessary.

The Action Plan identifies concrete and tailor-made actions to help unlock the investment required to get European electricity grids up to speed. It focuses on implementation and swift delivery, so that the actions can make a difference in time to contribute to our 2030 objectives.

The actions focus on 7 areas

  • accelerating the implementation of Projects of Common Interest and developing new projects
  • improving long-term grid planning for a higher share of renewables and increased electrification
  • introducing regulatory incentives for forward-looking grid build-out
  • incentivising a better usage of the grids
  • improving access to finance
  • accelerating deployment through faster permitting and public engagement
  • strengthening grid supply chains

In October 2025, the Commission published a study on network development planning, tariff structures and connection requests for electricity distribution grids that explores best practices and provides key recommendations. 

Guidance on anticipatory investments

On 2 June 2025, the Commission presented a Guidance document on anticipatory investments for developing forward-looking electricity networks, replying to actions in both the Grid Action Plan and the Action Plan for Affordable Energy.

The document addresses EU countries, national regulatory authorities and transmission and distribution system operators. It offers concrete recommendations on network planning, regulatory scrutiny and costs and incentives to help them create the right conditions so that grid investments reflect future needs, while also ensuring affordability for consumers and the competitiveness of industry.