The European Parliament’s Committees on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and Transport and Tourism (TRAN) have questioned the Commission on the forthcoming ‘Connecting Europe Facility’ (CEF), included in the proposal for the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034, presented in July (see EUROPE 13683/3).
A more connected electricity grid. The Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, stressed the importance of the grids, which are not just “the backbone of Europe’s energy system. They are the backbone of Europe itself”. “According to current estimates, we are not on track to deliver around half of our 2030 across border electricity capacity needs”, he warned.
He defended his proposal, the budget for which has been increased fivefold. As well as increasing the level of funding, the aim is to “focus on strategic European needs by ensuring that projects of common interest and project of mutual interest can be completed”.
While Eva Maydell (EPP, Bulgarian) pointed to the major disparities between electricity prices in Eastern and Western Europe, Christophe Bay (PfE, French) felt that we should not place too much faith in renewable energies, which are limited and intermittent.
On the first point, the Commissioner replied that he was well aware of the problem and that the package he would be presenting shortly should resolve it through “a paradigm shift”.
On renewable energies, he replied that Germany was losing almost €4 billion every year because of restrictions. “German taxpayers and electricity consumers, for instance, for shutting down wind production from wind turbines, which is not very rational in any sense. So, if we were better connected, we would save a lot on our energy prices”, he added.
He pointed out that the EU was not making sufficient use of this potential, which represents a real opportunity to be seized.
Financing projects with high European added value. For Apóstolos Tzitzikóstas, European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, the CEF has two main objectives: to complete the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and to finance military mobility.
Rosa Serrano Sierra (S&D, Spanish) and Kai Tegethoff (Greens/EFA) both expressed concern at the removal of eligibility and award criteria in favour of greater flexibility.
The Commissioner replied that “the more detailed criteria for funding would be set out in the work programmes and the texts of the calls for projects later on in the implementation”. He sought to reassure those involved in the sector about the predictability of the project, pointing out that “the work programmes extend over several years”.
Similarly, the mid-term review also provides for a degree of flexibility within the pillars. “So, with the national plans, there will be possibility to move around, which is very important because it can give the possibility to change some of the projects depending on the national priorities”, he stressed. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)