The European Commission is drafting a fundamental reshaping of the European Union's renewable-energy framework for the period after 2030, according to an internal impact assessment seen by Euronews. The document signals a shift away from the previous emphasis on deregulation and toward a more integrated approach centered on investment, grid expansion, and energy storage.
The existing Renewable Energy Directive, the assessment argues, is no longer sufficient to meet the EU's 2040 climate ambition of cutting net greenhouse gas emissions by 90% compared to 1990 levels—a target agreed by EU lawmakers last November. A new legislative proposal to revamp the bloc's renewable-energy rules is expected by the end of the year, aiming to align all sectors with the long-term goal of climate neutrality by 2050.
Current data show that renewable energy accounted for 26.2% of the EU's final energy consumption in 2025. National energy and climate plans submitted by member states project a share of about 41% by 2030—still below the binding EU target of 42.5%. Yet the Commission itself is skeptical that even this projected figure will be reached. "While the situation varies from one member state to another, the current trajectory for renewable energy deployment suggests that even the projected 41% share may be difficult to achieve with current progress at member state level," the draft document states.
Rather than imposing new mandatory targets, Brussels appears cautious about adding further regulatory burdens. The draft rejects additional measures on self-consumption, renewable-energy communities, mandatory regional cooperation, and joint projects, as well as further permitting legislation. Instead, it emphasizes that recent reforms need time to be implemented effectively. "The stakeholder feedback received at stakeholder workshops emphasised the importance of regulatory stability in this area and pointed at insufficient implementation of the current framework as the key issue to tackle," the document reads.
Grid congestion: the hidden bottleneck
While the EU has made significant strides in generating clean power—renewables accounted for nearly 50% of electricity generation in 2025—the real challenge lies in delivering that power to where it is needed. Grid congestion, insufficient storage capacity, and inflexible demand are leading to more frequent negative electricity prices and curtailment of renewable generation, often at the expense of clean-power producers.
In 2024, more than 10 terawatt-hours of renewable electricity—enough to power around 2.85 million European homes for a year—went unused due to grid limitations and inadequate cross-border connections. The cost of redispatch, which involves switching on more expensive generation because cheap renewable power cannot reach consumers, reached approximately €4.3 billion in 2024. The Commission estimates that without intervention, annual redispatch costs could soar to €26 billion by 2030.
These grid issues are not new. A recent audit by the European Court of Auditors found that the renewable capacity gains linked to the REPowerEU plan—the 2022 initiative to end dependence on Russian energy—are "negligible" compared with the Commission's goal of 103 gigawatts. The auditors also highlighted that grid infrastructure, particularly cross-border electricity connections, is the plan's most striking weakness. This aligns with broader concerns about the EU's energy independence plan stumbling on grids and funding.
The Commission acknowledges that simply adding more wind and solar capacity without corresponding investments in grids, storage, flexible demand, and electrification can create its own costs. To address these challenges, the draft proposes better monitoring of curtailment, clearer rules for hybrid renewable-and-storage projects, stronger investment signals for flexibility, and greater use of electric vehicles and smart charging as sources of system flexibility.
Veerle Dossche, renewable energy programme manager at the NGO Climate Action Now Europe, said the Commission's impact assessment makes a "compelling case" for an ambitious and binding post-2030 renewable energy target. However, she stressed that delivery must go beyond ambition. "This requires robust national contributions, clear trajectories and effective compliance mechanisms, backed by measurable KPIs, so that early warnings trigger corrective action when member states fall off track," Dossche said.
Legislative momentum on grid governance
Meanwhile, the legislative process is moving forward. On Thursday, MEPs on the European Parliament's industry committee backed a draft report on the future governance of the EU's power grid, paving the way for adoption in plenary next week in Strasbourg, followed by inter-institutional negotiations with the Council.
Bulgarian MEP Tsvetelina Penkova (S&D), the lead negotiator on the file, said the new rules should help reduce electricity price disparities among EU countries and regions. "The Commission will now have a stronger role in defining the strategic framework, while ACER (the EU's energy regulators) will provide greater independent scrutiny. This is an important step towards making our infrastructure planning more democratic, transparent and accountable," Penkova said.
Romanian MEP Virgil-Daniel Popescu (EPP) described Thursday's vote—backed by centre-right, liberal, Socialist, and Green MEPs—as a "balanced and pragmatic" approach to turning Europe's energy goals into the infrastructure needed to strengthen energy security and lower costs. "Europe should have a clear picture of where the major bottlenecks are, which strategic corridors and network reinforcements are needed," he added.
The Commission's post-2030 renewable framework is expected to be formally proposed by the end of the year, setting the stage for a contentious debate on how to balance ambition with feasibility. As the EU struggles to modernize its grids, the challenge is not just producing more clean energy, but ensuring it can actually reach European homes and businesses.
