On 26 June 2026, Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen welcomed the Energy Council's approval of a package aimed at expanding and modernising Europe's electricity grids, calling it a crucial step to lower energy prices, strengthen security, and fight climate change. The package, agreed by EU energy ministers, includes provisions for EU-wide grid planning, faster permitting, and improved burden-sharing rules for cross-border interconnection projects.
Jørgensen identified the lack of grid capacity as the single biggest barrier to replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy. He noted that EU energy is two to three times more expensive than in China and the US, and that the bloc spends over €370 billion annually on energy imports, leaving it vulnerable. The Commissioner stressed that the main answer to all three challenges—cost, security, and climate—is to end fossil fuel dependency by scaling up renewables.
The package introduces EU-wide scenarios to be drawn up by the European Commission, which Jørgensen compared to having the picture on a jigsaw puzzle box. Currently, national planning lacks coordination. On permitting, the goal is to reduce timelines from the current five to ten years to a maximum of six months for standard projects and up to two years for complex ones. The Commissioner described this as a fundamental change that will make a tangible difference.
Jørgensen also announced the first-ever EU tripartite agreement on energy storage, signed by 22 member states, storage developers, renewable energy developers, and energy-intensive industries. The voluntary agreement aims to accelerate the deployment of storage technology and increase capacity in the short and medium term. He framed this as a new, faster way of working that brings key actors together when rapid decisions are needed.
The Commissioner urged the Council and the European Parliament to reach a swift agreement on the grid package, with the Commission ready to facilitate negotiations. The package now enters the trilogue phase between the two co-legislators.
The package will significantly benefit renewable energy developers and grid operators by reducing permitting delays and providing clearer planning frameworks, lowering project costs and risks. EU consumers stand to gain from lower energy prices in the medium term as grid bottlenecks ease and renewables expand. National authorities face pressure to overhaul permitting procedures, which may require administrative restructuring and resources. Energy-intensive industries could benefit from cheaper and more secure power, but may face short-term adjustment costs as grid expansion projects are implemented.