The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) says that “the EU now needs a clear common plan for energy storage, something that is essential for energy independence and security of supply”, in an opinion adopted on 15 July. It is calling on the European Commission to draw up an energy storage strategy.
“Without storage, there can be no secure and successful energy transition”, said Thomas Kattnig, one of the two drafters of the opinion. “The market alone will not deliver the storage capacity Europe needs. Strategic public investment, long-term planning and targeted regulation are indispensable”, he added.
According to the EESC, energy storage infrastructure is essential to ensure a stable and reliable supply of renewable energy so as to redirect surplus renewable production to periods of low output.
The Committee is calling in particular for storage plans to be integrated into national energy and climate plans, for the development of battery storage production and reuse, for storage to be interconnected with the cybersecurity of energy infrastructure, and for public investment in storage.
On 26 June, a tripartite agreement was signed between EU institutions, twenty-two Member States and industry representatives in order to accelerate the deployment of energy storage solutions up to 45 GW between 2026 and 2028 (see EUROPE 13897/3). EU storage capacity at the start of 2026 stood at around 55 GW, well below the 200 GW target by 2030.
The EESC opinion: https://aeur.eu/f/n25 (Original version in French by Nadège Delépine)