REPowerEU: A European path to energy security and strategic autonomy

Europe needs affordable, secure and competitive energy. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine severely tested the European Union’s energy security. Dependence on Russian fossil fuels has revealed vulnerabilities that needed to be addressed urgently. REPowerEU was launched in May 2022 to make the energy supply more resilient, reduce fossil fuel dependencies and drive a strategic orientation of European energy policy. Europe’s energy supply has always been heavily reliant on fossil fuels, more than 60% of which were imported from abroad in past decades.

Before the war, 45% of the natural gas consumed in the EU came from Russia. The Kremlin used this vulnerability to exert geopolitical pressure. However, Europe was able to significantly reduce its dependence within a very short period of time by taking targeted measures.

New energy partnerships were established, LNG imports from the US, Qatar and Norway were expanded, and alternative pipelines were developed. At the same time, the expansion of renewable energy was accelerated to ensure a secure and sustainable energy supply in the long term. With REPowerEU, the EU is sending a clear signal for change. By 2030, renewable energy is to cover 45% of total energy consumption. Solar energy will play a key role here: the EU plans to install over 320 GW of solar capacity by 2025 and more than 600 GW by 2030. At the same time, wind power is to be expanded to make energy generation less dependent on the weather. This will be accompanied by investments in grid infrastructure to facilitate the integration of renewable energy and avoid supply bottlenecks. In addition, the EU aims to increase its green hydrogen capacity to 20 million tons per year by 2030 to replace fossil fuels, particularly in industry and heavy transport.

A central component of REPowerEU is the diversification of energy sources. The drastic decline in Russian imports shows that Europe is able to realign its energy supply faster than expected. At the same time, however, it must be ensured that new dependencies are avoided.

The increased, pragmatic use of hydrogen and low-carbon fuels as an energy carrier will play a key role here. The expansion of wind, solar and hydroelectric power will also be driven forward, although technological openness remains necessary. In this context, the EU also considers nuclear power in the form of Small Modular Reactors (SMR) and fusion power. In addition to increasing energy production, improving energy efficiency is a crucial factor. Energy efficiency in buildings, digital power grids and intelligent load control should help to reduce energy consumption. Studies show that a consistent efficiency strategy can achieve savings of up to 20% of total energy demand by 2030.  Nevertheless, there are challenges in financing these measures. In particular, European industry needs stable and competitive energy prices in order to remain internationally competitive. Excessive burdens could harm competitiveness and should therefore be avoided. The EU has therefore published the Affordable Energy Action Plan on 26 February 2025. The Plan is based on four pillars and entails lowering energy costs for all, completing the Energy Union, attracting investments and ensuring delivery as well as being ready for potential crises.

The Action plan aims to save €260 billion annually by 2040 for consumers and businesses. It also addresses critical energy security issues, such as reinforcing the physical integration of the Baltic States with Central and Northern Europe.

An often-overlooked aspect of energy security is the protection of critical infrastructure against cyber and hybrid threats. Cyberattacks on European energy suppliers in the past have shown how vulnerable the system is. Investing in IT security and closer international cooperation are therefore essential to counter these threats. To strengthen energy sovereignty, European production of key technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines and batteries should also be increased. Currently, 80% of the photovoltaic inverters used in Europe come from China – a dependency that must be reduced to ensure long-term energy security. REPowerEU marks a decisive step towards an independent, sustainable, and secure energy supply in Europe and is now complemented by necessary new initiatives. The coming years will show whether these ambitious goals can be achieved. It is clear that consistent implementation and further investment are needed to make the transition from short-term emergency measures to a long-term stable energy policy. Securing the energy supply must go hand in hand with economic competitiveness to ensure a sustainable future for Europe.