Consultation: Fitness check evaluating EU energy security architecture

The Commission has today opened a call for evidence and a public consultation inviting input into current EU regulations related to the security of energy supply and broader energy security issues. Aimed at a wide range of stakeholders including scientific researchers, academics, think tanks and other experts, but also NGOs, interest groups and EU citizens, the consultation will be open for 12 weeks, until 26 November. The objective of this “fitness check” is to evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, relevance and EU added value of the existing rules on the security, resilience and autonomy of the EU’s energy system. The key regulations covered under this initiative are the Gas Security of Supply Regulation and the Electricity Risk Preparedness Regulation, which have been in force since 2017 and 2019 respectively. Emergency measures taken in the context of REPowerEU are also part of the scope of this fitness check.

The fitness check will enable the Commission to assess the performance of the EU’s energy security architecture, amongst others during the energy crisis. It is an opportune moment to identify synergies, deficiencies and efficiency gains within the EU legislative framework and to consider lessons learned from the COVID-19 and energy crises, as well as the dynamic changes ongoing in the EU’s energy system. 

Evaluating the EU energy security framework will also help shape the priorities for the next European Commission following the Political Guidelines for 2024-2029, such as building a new Clean Industrial and a Preparedness Union.

Whereas the call for evidence is aimed at gathering general feedback on the energy security framework, the public consultation is aimed at gathering more targeted input with a mixture of closed questions and open questions. The public consultation will be complemented by meetings with stakeholders via dedicated fora to gather evidence in a more targeted way, for example through the Commission’s expert groups (Electricity Coordination Group and Gas Coordination Group).

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