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The report argues that European security of supply planning and clean procurement policies have been uncoordinated, often resulting in capacity mechanisms that favor fossil fuels and contracts that distort short-term market signals. It proposes a shift toward 'market-aligned' contracting—such as index REC structures—and co-optimized multi-product markets that separately value energy, capacity, and clean attributes to attract clean investment without sacrificing operational efficiency.

This executive summary discusses the need for wholesale electricity market reform to accommodate the transition from large, fossil-fuel-burning power plants to cheaper, smaller, carbon-free resources. It introduces two proposed pathways for market evolution: a decentralized approach emphasizing bilateral contracting and a hybrid approach combining long-term markets with short-term spot markets.