Commissioner for Energy Dan Jørgensen, in a written answer on 29 June 2026, declined to re-introduce pandemic-era price containment measures such as revenue caps for distributors or a sector solidarity contribution, instead directing member states to use existing tools under the AccelerateEU communication and the Citizens Energy Package. The answer, responding to a question from Catarina Martins (The Left, Portugal), signals that the Commission sees the current energy price pressures from the Iran conflict as manageable through targeted, temporary national measures rather than new EU-wide intervention.
Jørgensen's answer, the first formal Commission response on this file since the question was tabled on 30 March 2026, builds on two April 2026 initiatives: the AccelerateEU communication of 22 April, which urged member states to protect households and SMEs via electrification and demand flexibility, and the Citizens Energy Package recommendations, also adopted in April, which focus on preventing disconnections and promoting self-consumption. The Commissioner also referenced the Middle East crisis Temporary State Aid Framework, adopted in April 2026, as a tool for member states to design compliant support measures.
The answer contains no new numerical targets or deadlines for price caps, but does announce that legislative proposals on network charges and electricity taxes will be presented in July 2026, which could affect electricity bills. The Commission's stance prioritises national flexibility over EU-wide mandates, a policy orientation that leaves member states to bear the political cost of designing their own relief measures. The July proposals on network charges and taxes will be the next concrete step, potentially reshaping a significant component of household and business electricity costs.