Brussels, 14 March 2025
Chair: Paulina Hennig-Kloska, Polish Minister for Climate and Environment
European Commission representative: Dan Jørgensen, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing
Starting time: 09:30
Energy ministers will meet in Brussels to discuss the action plan for affordable energy, following a presentation by the Commission.
They will also exchange views on the EU’s energy security architecture, and in particular as regards the future revisions of regulations on security of gas supply and on electricity risk preparedness.
Additionally, Christian Zinglersen, director of the European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER), will give a presentation on EU electricity and gas market developments.
Ministers will also receive information on the energy situation in Ukraine by the Ukrainian energy minister, German Galushchenko.
The Commission will also brief ministers on the EU’s preparedness for the next winter season.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will present information on the successful synchronisation of the Baltic electricity systems with the Continental Europe Synchronous Area.
Czechia, supported by Hungary, Romania and Slovakia will share information on the requirements of the delegated act on renewable fuels of non-biological origin and the development of the hydrogen economy.
Over lunch, ministers will informally discuss critical infrastructure, together with the president of ENTSO-G and the chair of the board of ENTSO-E.
Press conferences and public events by video streaming
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Action plan for affordable energy
On 26 February 2025, the Commission published a communication on an “Action Plan for Affordable Energy – Unlocking the true value of our Energy Union to secure affordable, efficient and clean energy for all Europeans”. Supporting the Clean Industrial Deal, the action plan sets out various measures aimed at lowering energy costs in the short term, completing the Energy Union, attracting investments, and being ready for potential energy crises.
The action plan confirms that in the long-term, to make energy prices affordable, it is necessary to accelerate investments in clean energy and infrastructure, ensure rapid acceleration of electrification and increase energy efficiency, while also bringing more transparency and fairness to the gas market.
The action plan is a follow-up to and falls under the Competitiveness Compass, published in January. According to the Commission’s estimates, the full delivery of the action plan can enable the EU’s fossil fuel import bill to drop, with €130 billion of savings per year by 2030 and €260 billion of savings by 2040.
In their discussion, member states are expected to focus on the short-term and mid-term measures proposed to reduce energy prices, including taxation and charges that are decided nationally, as well as long-term solutions, such as greater harmonisation and cross-border interconnectors. The pilot programme of the European Investment Bank for power purchase agreements for longer term contracts, announced in the action plan, may also be a topic of discussion.
- Action plan for affordable energy – Presidency background note
Energy security architecture
The EU has a comprehensive energy security architecture in place, which is divided by sector (e.g. electricity, gas, oil). The regulations on security of gas supply and the regulation on risk preparedness in the electricity sector are key elements of this framework.
The regulation on security of gas supply has applied since 1 November 2017 and establishes rules to help prevent potential gas supply disruptions and respond to them when they occur. The regulation on risk preparedness in the electricity sector has applied since 4 July 2019 and sets outs rules for cooperation between EU countries to prevent, prepare for and manage electricity crises.
During the energy crisis which followed Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, gaps were identified in EU’s energy security architecture, demonstrating that the Union is in need of an updated, dynamic and more robust security of supply framework.
Therefore, the Commission launched a public consultation on the energy security architecture in September 2024, focusing on potential issues and areas of improvement (‘fitness check’) as regards the gas security of supply regulation and the electricity risk preparedness regulation.
The Commission is expected to revise the gas security of supply regulation and the electricity risk preparedness regulation during the first half of 2026. This revision is needed as the two regulations require adjustment to the new security and market conditions: they have a rather limited scope focused on safeguarding an interrupted gas supply and avoiding blackouts. The Commission proposal to prolong EU gas storage obligations until the end of 2027, published on 5 March 2025, is intended to bridge the gap between the end of the current gas storage regulation and the entry into force of a potential more permanent framework for gas storage.
Ministers are expected to discuss which elements of the existing energy security framework should be revised. In this regard, they will focus on security of gas supply and risk preparedness in the electricity sector, and explore the need for a single legislative framework for both sectors.
Ministers may also discuss the protection of critical energy infrastructure, and in particular measures needed to strengthen surveillance and repair in case of accidents or sabotage.
This non-public exchange of views will pave the way to the approval of Council conclusions on energy security at the Energy Council in June.
- Regulation on gas security of supply
- Regulation on risk preparedness in the electricity sector How much gas have the EU countries stored? (infographic)
- How is EU electricity produced and sold? (background information) Energy prices and security of supply (background information) Regulation extending gas storage obligations by two years
- Council adopts regulation on gas storage (press release, 27 June 2022)
Winter preparedness, Baltic synchronisation and hydrogen
Under other business, the Commission will inform ministers on the EU’s preparedness for the next cold season (non-public session).
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will publicly present information on the successful synchronisation of the Baltic electricity systems with the Continental Europe Synchronous Area, which took place on 9 February 2025. The Baltic states were the last three EU member states whose electricity networks were still operating fully within the Russian and Belarussian system.
Czechia, supported by Hungary, Romania and Slovakia will share information on the requirements of the delegated act on renewable fuels of non-biological origin and the development of the hydrogen economy (non-public session).
Critical infrastructure
Over lunch, ministers will informally discuss critical infrastructure, together with the president of the European network of transmission system operators for gas (ENTSO-G), Bart Jan Hoevers, and the chair of the board of European network of transmission system operators for electricity (ENTSO-E), Damian Cortinas.
Transmission system operators, both through ENTSO-E/G and individually, fulfil various tasks to ensure the security and resilience of the EU’s energy systems, including guaranteeing the security of supply of energy. Ministers are expected to discuss cooperation between transmission system operators and national and EU bodies to improve energy security, as well as cooperation with third countries for a better protection of EU’s critical infrastructure.
Source – EU Council (by email)