EU’s energy security architecture – the way forward

Ember's response to the EU's energy security fitness check consultation argues that the EU must accelerate the energy transition to achieve self-sufficiency and eliminate reliance on imported fossil fuels, particularly from Russia, by 2027.

• The EU needs to accelerate the deployment of wind and solar power to reduce dependency on imported fossil fuels and avoid single points of failure in centralized systems. Between 2019 and 2023, wind and solar generation in the EU grew by 46%, displacing 20% of fossil fuel electricity, yet current Member State targets reach only 66% of renewable electricity generation by 2030, missing the REPowerEU goal of 72%.
• Ember advocates for a "Smart Electrification" Action Plan to leverage domestic energy resources, which could meet 85% of EU energy needs by 2040, compared to 41% in 2019. This strategy is presented as a means to completely stop fossil fuel imports from Russia by 2027 at the latest, noting that such a phaseout could have been possible as early as 2025.
• Prioritizing clean flexibility, such as battery storage and interconnectors, can reduce reliance on fossil gas for power balancing. By 2030, wind and solar power could exceed domestic demand by 183 TWh across EU countries; deploying clean flexibility could avoid €9 billion in annual gas purchase costs. As an example, 2 GW of additional battery storage in Germany could have saved €2.5 million in fossil gas imports in June 2024.
• The EU must modernize its grid infrastructure, which comprises roughly 500,000 km of lines (110-400 kilovolts), and improve cross-border interconnections. Ember recommends creating a "Future Grids" task force reporting to the Energy Commissioner and notes that while the Baltic State synchronisation project is critical for NATO's eastern flank, interconnection investments are currently concentrated in Western and Southern Europe.

APA

Ember (2024). EU’s energy security architecture – the way forward. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/eus-energy-security-architecture-the-way-forward

Chicago

Ember. EU’s energy security architecture – the way forward. 2024. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/eus-energy-security-architecture-the-way-forward.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Ember |title=EU’s energy security architecture – the way forward |date=26 November 2024 |url=https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/eus-energy-security-architecture-the-way-forward |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{ember2024eus, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{EU’s energy security architecture – the way forward}}, publisher = {Ember}, year = {2024}, month = nov, url = {https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/eus-energy-security-architecture-the-way-forward}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }