The next chapter for Europe’s electricity grids: What the Council’s general approach gets right – and what it still needs

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) evaluates the Council's general approach to the European Commission's Grid Package, which includes revisions to the TEN-E Regulation and permitting procedures. While welcoming the move toward mandatory sensitivity analyses and the recognition of permitting bottlenecks, CATF warns that shifting the 'central scenario' for infrastructure planning to an implementing act could 're-nationalised key elements' and increase Member State control. The document emphasizes a critical lack of transparency in modelling and warns that making digital permitting portals and tacit approval mechanisms optional could create a 'patchwork of policies' that slows cross-border deployment. CATF advocates for open modelling, independent review of cross-sector assumptions, and a time-bound permitting framework to meet Europe's climate and energy security goals.

• The Council's proposal to change the 'central scenario' from a delegated act to an implementing act may undermine EU-wide planning by granting Member States a qualified majority veto, which would 'effectively re-nationalised key elements of the central scenario'.
• CATF supports the Council's addition of mandatory sensitivity analyses and scenario adjustments every two years to make infrastructure planning more resilient and aligned with the selection of European priority projects.
• There is a significant gap in transparency regarding the scenarios guiding infrastructure investment; CATF argues that full documentation of methodology, assumptions, and modelling tools should be open to external scrutiny to ensure choices are 'evidence-based, future-proof and trusted'.
• The Council's position on permitting risks slowing cross-border deployment by making digital, interoperable portals and tacit approval mechanisms voluntary rather than mandatory, potentially creating a 'patchwork of policies across the European Union'.
• To ensure consistency across energy planning, the document argues that the EU's long-term network planning assumptions should align with the European Resource Adequacy Assessment and planning for gas and hydrogen infrastructure.

APA

Romm, L., & Pavia, N. (2026). The next chapter for Europe’s electricity grids: What the Council’s general approach gets right – and what it still needs. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2026/07/the-next-chapter-for-europes-electricity-grids-what-the-councils-general-approach-gets-right-and-what-it-still-needs/

Chicago

Romm, Lea, and Nicole Pavia. The next chapter for Europe’s electricity grids: What the Council’s general approach gets right – and what it still needs. Clean Air Task Force, 2026. https://www.catf.us/2026/07/the-next-chapter-for-europes-electricity-grids-what-the-councils-general-approach-gets-right-and-what-it-still-needs/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Romm |first1=Lea |last2=Pavia |first2=Nicole |title=The next chapter for Europe’s electricity grids: What the Council’s general approach gets right – and what it still needs |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=3 July 2026 |url=https://www.catf.us/2026/07/the-next-chapter-for-europes-electricity-grids-what-the-councils-general-approach-gets-right-and-what-it-still-needs/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{romm2026next, author = {Romm, Lea and Pavia, Nicole}, title = {{The next chapter for Europe’s electricity grids: What the Council’s general approach gets right – and what it still needs}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2026}, month = jul, url = {https://www.catf.us/2026/07/the-next-chapter-for-europes-electricity-grids-what-the-councils-general-approach-gets-right-and-what-it-still-needs/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }