Exactly 1 year ago today, Ursula von der Leyen began her second term as President of the European Commission, and her new team, the College of Commissioners, took office.
In the energy sector, with a strong mandate to act, the Commission continues its work to accelerate the clean energy transition and boost Europe’s competitiveness, under the leadership of Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen.
These are a chronological selection of energy policy highlights from the first year of the mandate.
1 – Baltic Synchronisation
With EU backing, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have completed their integration into the EU internal energy market by connecting to the European continental network via Poland on 9 February 2025. This move marks the end of their dependence on the Russian and Belarusian electricity systems.
The synchronisation allows the Baltic States to run their energy systems under common, transparent EU rules. The shift not only contributes to the security of supply of the entire Union, it also supports the integration of renewable energy in the system, ultimately allowing consumers to benefit from lower energy costs.
2 – Affordable Energy Action Plan
On 26 February as part of the Clean Industrial Deal, the Commission presented the Affordable Energy Action Plan. The initiative aims to reduce energy costs for households and businesses, accelerate the completion of the EU Energy Union, boost investment, and strengthen the EU’s preparedness for future energy crises.
3 – Gas storage regulation measures for winter preparedness
In light of continued volatility and uncertainty in the global energy landscape, in March, the Commission proposed to extend by an additional 2 years, until the end of 2027, the requirement for EU countries to maintain sufficient gas reserves before the winter season.
Following the agreement of the Parliament and the Council, the adopted Regulation EU/2025/1733 was published on 10 September.
4 – 8th Nuclear Illustrative Programme – PINC
On 13 June, the Commission published the 8th Nuclear Illustrative Programme (PINC), a detailed report on nuclear development trends and investment needs, last published in 2017.
It showed that nuclear energy will require significant investments, of around €241 billion until 2050, both for lifetime extensions of existing reactors and the construction of new large-scale reactors. Additional investments are needed for Small Modular Reactors, Advanced Modular Reactors and microreactors and in fusion for the longer-term future.
5 – Energy Union Task Force
The European Commission and the Polish Council Presidency launched the Energy Union Task Force on 16 June. Made up of senior representatives from the Commission and EU countries, the group will strengthen cooperation on key energy policies.
Its priorities include improving the use of energy infrastructure, speeding up interconnections, enhancing grid planning coordination, and supporting EU countries in implementing the EU Affordable Energy Action Plan as well as discussing areas of mutual interests related to EU energy legislation implementation.
6 – REPowerEU Roadmap proposal
On 17 June, the Commission adopted a legislative proposal to phase out all imports of Russian gas and oil by the end of 2027. The RePowerEU roadmap sets out a gradual and coordinated plan to eliminate Russian oil, gas and nuclear energy from EU markets.
The European Parliament and the Council work towards a political agreement still before the end of 2025.
7 – Guidance for greater energy performance of buildings
To support EU countries in implementing the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, the Commission issued a package of guidance documents on 30 June.
Effective implementation is expected to strengthen energy independence, cut bills and reduce grid investment needs. It will also help the EU meet its 2030 goal of reducing energy consumption by 11.7%, compared to 2020 projections for 2030, expand renewable use in buildings and create a more stable investment environment for Europe’s construction and cleantech sectors.
8 – Energy and raw materials platform
The EU’s efforts towards competitiveness, decarbonisation and security of supply rely on the need for secure and competitive procurement of commodities, products, and materials.
To support these efforts, the Commission launched on 2 July the EU Energy and Raw Materials Platform to empower European companies in effectively procuring energy related products and raw materials. It will host mechanisms for sourcing different products (hydrogen, raw materials, natural gas and biomethane). The hydrogen part of the initiative is already collecting supply offers, while the raw materials mechanism opened registrations in November 2025.
9 – Initiative to scale €17.5 billion for energy efficiency in SMEs
The energy efficiency for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) initiative, led by the European Investment Bank Group and supported by the European Commission, was launched in September. It seeks to help SMEs using proven energy-saving technologies to lower their energy bills and boost their resilience and competitiveness.
More than 350 000 companies across Europe are set to make energy efficiency gains thanks to the initiative.
10 – PCI/PMI list
The Commission published the 2nd Union list of Projects of Common Interest and Projects of Mutual Interest (PCIs and PMIs).
PCIs and PMIs are important energy infrastructure projects with a significant impact on energy markets and market integration in at least 2 EU countries. They are selected every 2 years, with the adoption of a new list, and enjoy several advantages including faster planning and permit approvals and increased visibility to investors
Source: European Commission | Energy, Climate change, Environment | News (https://tinyurl.com/588mjkwx)