Powering Europe’s future
The EU’s energy policy pursues two core objectives: cutting greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring a reliable, affordable energy supply. Closely linked to environmental policy, it seeks to safeguard the environment for current and future generations.
In this edition of ECA Insights, we share findings from our recent audits on energy security, renewable hydrogen, and electricity grids. You will also get a preview of our upcoming work on energy efficiency, the REPowerEU plan, critical raw materials, and the role of “energy communities”.
Insights from recent publications
Our audits highlight both advances and ongoing challenges in shaping a greener, more resilient energy system. Investments are progressing, but better coordination, clear strategic choices, and strong governance frameworks remain crucial.
Review 01/2025: Making the EU electricity grid fit for net-zero emissions. EU’s electricity grid reaches 266 million customers through 11.3 million km of lines and cables. As electrification accelerates, grids must be ready to absorb more green energy. Our review, published in April 2025, underlines the need for increased investment, more flexibility, and regulatory support to keep the grid fit for the future.
Special report 11/2024: The EU’s industrial policy on renewable hydrogen. Hydrogen is a key factor to decarbonise industries that are hard to electrify. With €18.8 billion earmarked for 2021-2027, the EU strives to lay the foundations for a hydrogen market. Yet, significant challenges remain, as highlighted in our July 2024 report. We recommend basing future strategic choices on more realistic assessments, to avoid new dependencies while supporting industrial transformation.
Special report 09/2024: Security of the supply of gas in the EU. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has transformed Europe’s gas security landscape. While short-term measures helped stabilise supply, our audit revealed weaknesses in affordability frameworks, uneven regional cooperation, and limited transparency on key projects. Measures for stronger resilience and long-term planning are urgently needed.
What’s next on the agenda
Looking ahead, we will continue to examine whether the EU is on track to meet its energy and climate targets while maintaining energy security.
RRF-funded investments in energy efficiency. Improving energy efficiency is key to lowering electricity bills, cutting emissions, improving air quality, and reducing dependence on fossil fuels imports. Our audit will assess how member states use funds from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) in the field of residential buildings, and how effectively the European Commission oversees related reforms and investments.
REPowerEU plan. The Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022) and the geopolitical consequences have massively disrupted the functioning of energy markets in the EU. The European Commission presented the REPowerEU plan in May 2022. This roadmap aims to end the EU’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels by 2027 while speeding up the clean transition. Our audit will assess the effectiveness of EU-level actions in delivering these ambitious goals.
Energy communities’ contribution to renewable energy generation. Renewable energy plays a key role in the EU’s long-term strategy to be climate-neutral by 2050 (an economy with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions). Citizens and so-called energy communities could generate up to 50% of Europe’s renewable energy by 2050, according to the European Commission’s estimates. Our audit will examine whether the Commission and member states provide sufficient support for these communities to play their full role in the energy transition.
Critical raw materials for the energy transition. From batteries and electrolysers to wind turbines and solar panels, the clean transition relies on critical raw materials with high supply risks. With the planned EU-wide deployment of renewables, the needed quantities of these materials are expected to increase drastically, and ensuring their availability has become essential. Our audit will evaluate whether the EU measures are sufficient to guarantee a long-term supply of these critical resources.
Stay updated on the latest publications, audit findings, and insights from the European Court of Auditors by subscribing to the monthly ECA Insights newsletter or by visiting the ECA website.