To: Energy and Environment Ministers of EU Member States
Cc: Commission President, Executive Vice-President for the Clean, Just and Competitive
Transition, and Commissioners for Energy and Housing, Environment, Water Resilience and a
Competitive Circular Economy, Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, and the Chair of the
European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy
Re: Input to the EU Energy Council Meeting, Brussels, 17 March 2025
Brussels, 14 March 2025
Dear Minister,
On behalf of the European Environmental Bureau, I am writing to share with you our views on the issues
on the agenda of the forthcoming EU Energy Council. We invite you to take our concerns into account
during the final official level preparations, as well as at the meeting itself. We have structured the letter
according to our understanding of the 17 March Council Agenda and outlined our vision of what is
needed to ensure the European Union achieves long-term resilience and decarbonisation of its energy
system, with secure and affordable energy for both industrial and domestic users.
Affordable Energy Action Plan
While we welcome several positive elements in the Affordable Energy Action Plan (AEAP) — notably, the
emphasis on accelerating renewable energy deployment and clean flexibility, such as the swift
implementation of the Renewable Energy Directive, as well as promising steps on energy efficiency,
including the proposed EU guarantee scheme and the Energy Savings Certification — we believe that a
much broader focus on energy savings is urgently needed. At the same time, investments in new LNG
infrastructure and nuclear assets are misguided: they risk becoming stranded assets or arriving too late
to provide meaningful relief in the current energy price crisis.
We are particularly concerned that, although the AEAP identifies electricity taxation as a key issue, only
few EU countries seem convinced to take effective steps in this direction. Without reform in this area,
we miss a critical opportunity to ease pressure on citizens’ energy bills and accelerate the electrification
of sectors like heating and cooling — sectors that are currently locking us into fossil fuel dependency.
A forward-looking approach would prioritise measures that not only deliver immediate relief but also
strengthen Europe’s long-term energy sovereignty and industrial competitiveness.
We call on the Energy Council to take decisive and forward-looking action to strengthen Europe’s
energy independence, resilience, and social cohesion:
▪ Swiftly implement the short-term measures recommended by the European Commission in
the AEAP to lower taxation on electricity and reduce the burden of network costs for both
industrial and residential energy users.
▪ Foster a coalition of the willing among Member States to lead a voluntary shift of taxes and
levies away from electricity used for heating, cooling, and mobility, and onto fossil energy
carriers such as gas and gasoline. This smart fiscal shift would send a clear and timely signal to
citizens and businesses to adopt clean, renewable solutions.
▪ Further to that, resume the negotiations on the Energy Taxation Directive and aim at
adopting the new text as soon as possible, taking into consideration the Commission’s
recommendations in the AEAP and the European Parliament’s ITRE Committee opinion.
European Environmental Bureau
Rue des Deux Églises 14-16, 1000 Brussels, Belgium ● ☏ +32 228 91090 ●
[email protected] ● www.eeb.org
Association internationale sans but lucratif (AISBL) ● EC register for interest representatives ID number: 06798511314-27
BCE ID number: 0415.814.848 ● RPM Tribunal de l’entreprise francophone de Bruxelles
▪ Make the full transposition and implementation of the RED an urgent priority to accelerate
renewable energy deployment and adopt strategic policy decisions to facilitate the
development of nature- and community-friendly renewables and grids in the EU’s rural areas.
▪ Integrate and strengthen energy sufficiency and efficiency policies across both industrial
and residential sectors. This will not only drive demand for clean, high-performance products,
but also support the growth of a robust, EU-based value chain for energy efficiency
technologies.
▪ Call on the EU Commission to explore the inclusion of a 0% VAT rate for heat pumps and
other clean heating and cooling technologies. This measure would directly stimulate demand
for EU-manufactured solutions and reinforce Europe’s technological sovereignty in this critical
sector.
▪ Request the Commission to put forward a legislative proposal to frontload part of the
ETS2 revenues to expand and strengthen the Social Climate Fund. This is essential to ensure a
just and rapid transition to EU-sourced, renewable energy.
EU’s Energy Security Architecture
The EU’s current energy security architecture remains overly reliant on fossil fuels, including LNG and
nuclear energy, which perpetuate dependency on unreliable partners and undermine the bloc’s long-
term resilience. While the Commission’s focus on storage and infrastructure is important, it fails to
address the root causes of energy insecurity: fossil fuel dependency and insufficient investment in
renewable energy, energy efficiency, and demand-side solutions. A truly secure energy system must
prioritize 100% renewable energy production, energy efficiency, and decentralized solutions that
empower citizens and communities. The EU must phase out fossil fuels and nuclear energy, which are
not only costly and risky but also incompatible with the bloc’s climate and security goals.
We call upon the Energy Council to:
▪ Accelerate the phase-out of fossil fuels, including LNG, by rejecting new long-term contracts
and infrastructure investments that lock in dependency. The EU must prioritize renewable
energy and energy efficiency as the cornerstone of its energy security strategy.
▪ Reject nuclear energy as a solution to energy security, given its reliance on uranium imports
from fragile third countries and service contracts with Rosatom. Instead, invest in renewables,
energy savings, and flexibility to replace nuclear capacity and ensure a secure, decarbonized
energy system.
▪ Promote decentralized energy systems, including energy communities, building-integrated
solar, and heat pumps, to enhance resilience and reduce dependency on centralized fossil fuel
and nuclear infrastructure.
▪ Enhance system flexibility through demand-side management, decentralized energy
systems, and cross-border electricity interconnections, reducing reliance on centralized fossil
fuel-based generation.
▪ Strengthen energy efficiency and demand-side measures as the first line of defence
against price shocks and geopolitical volatility. This includes setting binding energy efficiency
targets and expanding demand management systems across the EU.
▪ Establish a European Energy Agency to improve monitoring, transparency, and coordination
of energy security measures, ensuring that the transition to a renewable-based system is both
efficient and equitable.
European Environmental Bureau
Rue des Deux Églises 14-16, 1000 Brussels, Belgium ● ☏ +32 228 91090 ●
[email protected] ● www.eeb.org
Association internationale sans but lucratif (AISBL) ● EC register for interest representatives ID number: 06798511314-27
BCE ID number: 0415.814.848 ● RPM Tribunal de l’entreprise francophone de Bruxelles
Energy situation in Ukraine
The ongoing war in Ukraine has severely damaged the country’s energy infrastructure, leaving millions
without reliable access to electricity. As Ukraine works to rebuild its energy system, it is crucial to
prioritize renewable energy and decentralized solutions that enhance resilience, reduce
dependency on fossil fuels, and align with the rapidly evolving EU’s electricity grid.
Initiatives like EEB Member Ecoclub’s Solar Aid for Ukraine demonstrate the potential of community-
driven renewable energy projects to provide both immediate relief and long-term security of supply,
even in the most challenging conditions. The EU must seize this opportunity to support Ukraine in
building a modern, sustainable, and interconnected energy system that serves as a model for post-
crisis recovery.
We call upon the Energy Council to:
▪ Support Ukraine’s transition to a renewable energy system by providing financial and
technical assistance for decentralized solar, wind, and energy storage projects to facilitate the
integration of renewable generation into Ukraine’s grid.
▪ Ensure that EU funding for Ukraine’s energy sector is directed toward renewable energy and
energy efficiency projects, avoiding investments in fossil fuel or nuclear assets as these would
prove too costly, projects would come too late, and they would not improve the resilience of an
already strained national grid.
▪ Facilitate knowledge exchange between EU and Ukrainian stakeholders to accelerate the
deployment of renewable energy solutions
▪ Accelerate the interconnection of Ukraine’s electricity grid with the EU, including fast-
tracking the synchronization of Ukraine’s grid with ENTSO-E and expanding cross-border
transmission capacity. This will enable Ukraine and the EU to exchange surplus renewable
generation, mutually enhancing energy security and providing energy users with affordable
energy.
We hope that the above insights and recommendations help you in your Environment Council
deliberation and decisions and wider responsibilities. We also hope that our recommendations for the
next legislative cycle in The European Pact for the Future, signed by 320 organisations and 1085
individuals, including a range of MEPs, are useful for you. Further details of our visions can be found in
our recently launched Action Plan for the Pact, and the Industrial Blueprint
We remain available to discuss with you these practical visions and look forward to working together
to help create an agenda of hope.
Yours sincerely,
Patrick ten Brink
Secretary General, European Environmental Bureau (EEB)
European Environmental Bureau
Rue des Deux Églises 14-16, 1000 Brussels, Belgium ● ☏ +32 228 91090 ●
[email protected] ● www.eeb.org
Association internationale sans but lucratif (AISBL) ● EC register for interest representatives ID number: 06798511314-27
BCE ID number: 0415.814.848 ● RPM Tribunal de l’entreprise francophone de Bruxelles
Saatja: "EEB Secretary General" <
[email protected]>
Saaja:
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Teema: Input to the EU Energy Council Meeting, Brussels, 17 March 2025
Kuupäev: 2025-03-14 10:45
Tähelepanu! Tegemist on välisvõrgust saabunud kirjaga.
Tundmatu saatja korral palume linke ja faile mitte avada.
Tähelepanu! Tegemist on välisvõrgust saabunud kirjaga.
Tundmatu saatja korral palume linke ja faile mitte avada.
To: Energy and Environment Ministers of EU Member States
Cc: Commission President, Executive Vice-President for the Clean, Just and
Competitive Transition, and Commissioners for Energy and Housing,
Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, Climate,
Net Zero and Clean Growth, and the Chair of the European Parliament
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy
Dear Ministers,
Please find attached EEB's Input to the EU Energy Council Meeting,
Brussels, 17 March 2025.
Thank you for taking our inputs into consideration and looking forward to
collaborating with you on these issues.
Best Regards,
Patrick ten Brink
EEB Seretary General