Connecting the EU’s energy networks will ensure that households, businesses and essential services such as hospitals in all EU countries are always powered. A more interconnected energy grid will also make sure that renewable energy produced from for example wind power in the North Sea, solar energy from southern Europe and biomass from eastern Europe can be transported and consumed elsewhere in Europe.
Sharing energy across borders - via a connected modern energy grid - will create a system that is more secure, sustainable and affordable. It will also bring advantages in case of unexpected shortages or blackouts, especially in countries vulnerable to supply shortages, such as islands or those located on the periphery of Europe.
Pact for stakeholder engagement in grid development
Adopted in November 2023 during the PCI Energy Days, the Pact for Engagement is part of the EU Action Plan for Grids. It aims to ensure early, regular, and meaningful stakeholder engagement in grid development to address potential public opposition and ensure the highest standard in stakeholder engagement, crucial for an efficient deployment of energy networks.
The pact is based on 4 pillars of action, covering
- strengthened efforts in communicating the role of grids for the energy transition
- more engagement in the fora focusing on grid acceleration and faster implementation of permitting rules
- sustained dialogue with regulators on the relevance and recognition of engagement activities
- adequate organisational set-ups for stakeholder engagement activities
It builds on the lessons learned from a decade of implementing the TEN-E Regulation and the evaluation of its performance, best practice exchanges at the PCI Energy Days and Energy Infrastructure Forum, and input from project promoters and civil society in different fora.
The first key stakeholders to co-sign the pact, during the PCI Energy Days in 2023, were the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER), the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), EU Distribution System Operators (DSO) Entity, and the Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI). In 2024 and during the 5th PCI Energy Days, an additional 30 organisations including transmission and distribution system operators, industry and civil society organisations co-signed the pact.
For the 2024 edition of the PCI Energy Days, 10 Guiding Principles for early Public Engagement for the Development of Energy Infrastructure Projects were developed by the stakeholders of the pact and endorsed by the Commission.
The principles address stakeholders, who are involved in the development of energy infrastructure on the ground, such as developers of energy infrastructure projects and decision-makers, including regulatory and permitting authorities, as well as commercial industrial stakeholders, who benefit from the expansion of energy infrastructure. While the principles themselves are not legally binding, they establish a common understanding for early engagement. The principles are complemented by best practice examples shared by stakeholders of the pact.
In 2024, the Commission set up a dedicated stakeholder group to advance the Pact for Engagement and develop its Guiding Principles. The Commission will continue to work closely with all parties adhering to the pact, encouraging others to join.
Communicate and engage with citizens
The European Commission supports energy infrastructure projects, and in particular, those that are selected as Projects of Common Interest (PCIs). The PCIs are cross-border projects, often important in size, demanding in time and resources and selected through a transparent multi-stakeholder process to address regional infrastructure needs in Europe.
EU citizens’ support for the PCIs is important, especially, but not only, from those living in the communities and regions that benefit most from the projects, whether it is the construction of a new undersea link or overhead line, or the development of a smart grid.
The construction of cross-border energy infrastructure projects is often complex, crossing several jurisdictions and affecting several communities. Although PCIs bring important benefits by increasing the security of supply, ensuring price convergence across regions and integrating large shares of renewables, these benefits are not always visible and can therefore trigger concerns and opposition.
Delays in the construction of these key projects mean that the benefits are not delivered to our economies and societies, slowing the speed of the energy transition. Moreover, lack of necessary infrastructure negatively affects households and citizens across Europe.
To look for PCIs in your region, consult the PCI interactive map or read about a few PCI examples on electricity, gas or smart grids.
Local awareness campaigns
To build local support for a PCI, it is crucial to inform citizens about the need for that project, what are the alternatives considered and the benefits the project will bring to their communities. It is equally important to communicate in a transparent manner about the impact the new energy infrastructure might have at the local level and economy and the different measures taken to ease such impact. Organising regular communication and engagement campaigns before the start of a project will address concerns, increase trust in the process and acceptance by potentially allowing for collaborative solutions on the ground.
In its efforts to support transparency and consultation with local communities and stakeholders during the implementation of PCIs, the European Commission developed in 2021 new communication material that can support promoters to carry out local communication initiatives. It includes
- Engagement book – support material for PCI project promoters (EN)
- Animated video – explaining PCIs (EN)
- Poster - for print (EN)
- On-line brochure (EN)
- On-line factsheet- questions and answers (EN)
In addition, the Commission has prepared a PCI promoters toolkit with material that can be adapted to the needs of local promoters, by translating the messages, adding logos or illustrations. The editable toolkit includes
- PowerPoint slides
- 2 poster templates
The promoters’ toolkit can be requested by sending a message to: ENER-C4-PROJECTS
ec [dot] europa [dot] eu (ENER-C4-PROJECTS[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)