The EU’s electricity grids must be strong, smart and secure

This article is brought to you in association with the European Economic and Social Committee.

At its March plenary session, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) stressed that the EU needed more decentralised energy and better coordination on electricity grids. Networks should be rapidly digitalised and be aligned with national energy and climate plans.

The EESC says that the European Union needs a sustainable, secure and affordable energy supply and that it must be seen as a public good for EU prosperity, economic and social development and competitiveness.

In the opinion adopted at the March plenary session and drafted by Thomas Kattnig, the Committee stresses the economic importance of the energy system, as mentioned in the Draghi report. Energy prices play a pivotal role in overall inflation; therefore, it is essential to lower network costs to avoid further increases in grid tariffs.

‘Europe needs strong, smart and secure electricity grids,’ said Mr Kattnig during the plenary session. ‘They must be organised as a public good that guarantees security of supply, sustainability and affordability.’

Supporting more decentralised energy

In the opinion, the EESC underlines that grid development should be well coordinated with the current requirements arising from renewable energy integration as well as with the targeted energy mix and the structure of electricity generation.

The EESC also adds that it is essential to prioritise the efficient use of existing grids, placing optimisation before expansion, supported by flexibility solutions.

More specifically, the EESC supports expanding decentralised energy generation, which can lower the pressure on the grid – and so reduce the need for grid expansion – and increase public acceptance of the energy transition. 

Need for better coordination on electricity grids

At the same time, the EU needs better coordination on electricity grids. This is why the EESC calls for stronger EU coordination in grid governance while maintaining Member States’ responsibility for planning and oversight as the costs of grid expansion, congestion management and stability are primarily borne by the Member States.

The Committee also underlines the importance of accelerating the digitalisation of electricity networks and ensuring that network development plans align with national energy and climate plans (NECPs).

EU funds should complement EU planning

In addition, the EESC supports increasing the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), since EU planning should be complemented by EU funds. The use of CEF funds should promote EU value creation and be accompanied by socio-economic conditionalities developed and agreed by the national social partners.

These conditionalities should ensure compliance with labour-law standards as provided for in EU and national law, and collective bargaining agreements, while not leading to undue discrimination against certain types of companies or Member States and also enabling innovation, SME participation and timely project delivery.

Electricity grids mean security

Finally, electricity grids are not just infrastructure, they are a matter of security. Grid expansion must be recognised as such, with faster permits and well‑resourced authorities, so that Europe can truly deliver affordable, secure energy for all.

In light of this, the Committee stresses that grid expansion should be recognised as a security-related infrastructure measure and explicitly covered by the financing and support provisions of the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) Regulation (EU) 2025/1106, as a central component of the EU’s security, resilience and defence capabilities.

Background – European Grids Package

The European Union has one of the most extensive and resilient electricity networks in the world. It spans over 11 million kilometres across the internal market and ensures that high-quality electricity is delivered to its consumers every day.

At the same time, the EU’s electricity networks are confronted with new challenges such as insufficient grid capacity to meet growing connection requests on both the demand and the supply side, delays in project implementation and security threats.

The European Commission presented the European Grids Package in December 2025, with a view to strengthening and modernising the EU’s energy networks. The objective is to improve both cross-border planning and the integration of national energy grid systems. The Commission also intends to address infrastructure gaps and support the EU’s transition away from imported fossil fuels.

The package updates the TEN-E regulatory framework to better reflect EU climate goals and regional needs, creating a more coordinated approach to identifying priority projects across electricity, storage, hydrogen and CO₂ networks. It also accelerates project delivery by simplifying permitting procedures, promoting early public engagement and encouraging the use of smart, digital and grid-enhancing technologies to maximise existing capacity.

The Commission’s proposal also aims to unlock investments, ensuring costs are shared fairly, and boost resilience against cyber and physical risks, to prepare the EU’s energy grids for future challenges while supporting a more competitive and interconnected energy system.