The EU Council on 26 June 2026 reached general approaches on a permitting directive and the TEN-E revision, with Cyprus securing positions for trilogues under the incoming Irish Presidency. On permitting, most member states backed faster procedures while preserving environmental safeguards, but France opposed binding water measures and Spain abstained over environmental exemptions. On TEN-E, the central scenario, congestion income, and a new security-and-resilience category were key trade-offs. The European Commission defended stronger coordinated planning, but Hungary and Poland pushed back against over-centralization, preferring TSO-led multi-scenario approaches. On congestion income, Sweden and Denmark insisted historic revenues remain untouched, while France argued the text still privileged interconnectors over national grids. The new resilience category was widely welcomed, though the Commission warned that stockpiling and repair funding stretched TEN-E limits. On the methane regulation, a large majority urged postponement of Article 28 import obligations, citing legal uncertainty and supply risks, while Spain, France, and Luxembourg opposed reopening the text. On electrification, France, Denmark, Netherlands, and Sweden presented it as the main decarbonization lever, while Italy argued for technological neutrality. The Commission rejected reopening the methane regulation and previewed an Electrification Action Plan. Affected stakeholders include grid operators, renewable developers, TSOs, energy-intensive industries, and EU importers of fossil fuels.
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