Ahead of the European Commission’s forthcoming Electrification Action Plan, the ECR Group is calling for a realistic, technology-neutral approach that strengthens Europe’s energy security and industrial competitiveness.

Daniel Obajtek MEP, the ECR Coordinator in the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, said:

“The Commission must expand generation and energy storage capacity, modernise cross-border electricity grids and accelerate permitting. Simply setting higher electrification targets without providing the necessary infrastructure would raise costs for industry and consumers rather than deliver a successful energy transition.

“Electrification cannot be the answer in every sector. Some activities cannot be electrified in a technically or economically viable way and will continue to require other solutions.

“The Commission should promote electrification through incentives rather than obligations, while fully respecting the principle of subsidiarity, national circumstances and Member States’ energy mixes. Mandatory electrification targets or sales quotas for technologies such as heat pumps would ultimately place additional costs on manufacturers and consumers.”

Alexandr Vondra MEP, the ECR Coordinator in the Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety, said:

“There can be no credible electrification strategy without nuclear power. Europe and its industry need stable, reliable and low-carbon sources of electricity around the clock.

“Existing reactors must be maintained where Member States choose to do so, and investment in new nuclear capacity must be made easier. The ECR Group therefore calls on the Commission to revise the EU taxonomy without further delay and remove unnecessary barriers that continue to disadvantage nuclear investment.

“Electrification must not become another excuse for central planning from Brussels. Member States must remain free to choose the energy mix that best reflects their national circumstances, resources and industrial needs.”