The EU wants to strengthen its energy infrastructure and cross-border interconnections to increase competitiveness and achieve its climate goals.

• What the EU is doing to strengthen energy infrastructure
• TEN-E: Europe’s energy corridors
• European grid package
• Connecting Europe Facility
  
   

  What the EU is doing to strengthen energy infrastructure

  To make the green transition a reality, improve the EU’s energy security and help ensure stable energy prices, energy should flow easily between EU countries via well-connected energy networks, particularly electricity grids.

  The EU is taking action through its Trans-European Networks for Energy, a policy framework supporting cross-border energy projects. It also addresses emerging energy needs by adopting new legislation such as the European grids package, and ensures funding for energy projects through the Connecting Europe Facility.

  

  TEN-E: Europe’s energy corridors

  Since 2013, the EU has had in place a policy framework called Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E) , with the aim of better connecting EU countries’ energy infrastructure. 

  Within this framework it decides on priority corridors and thematic areas and supports a list of cross-border projects for these corridors and areas.

  In the current TEN-E regulation there are 11 priority geographical corridors and 3 priority thematic areas . For example, the list of priority corridors includes north-south electricity interconnections in western Europe (NSI west electricity), hydrogen interconnections in central eastern and south-eastern Europe (HI east), and Atlantic offshore grids in the north Atlantic Ocean (Atlantic offshore). The three priority thematic areas are smart electricity grids, smart gas grids and CO ₂ networks.

  TEN-E projects

  Two types of TEN-E project can be included in the EU list:

  • projects of common interest (PCI) : cross-border infrastructure projects in EU member states
  • projects of mutual interest (PMI) : projects in cooperation with countries outside the EU

  To be eligible for inclusion, projects must meet certain criteria. Among other things, they must fit within a priority corridor or thematic area and have a significant impact on energy markets and market integration.

  TEN-E projects can benefit from EU funding and other advantages , such as expedited permitting and increased visibility to investors.

  Examples of TEN-E projects

  There are currently over 150 cross-border projects on the EU list of TEN-E projects. Most of them concern electricity, offshore and smart electricity grids. The map below shows some examples of these projects.

  European grid package

  Better cross-border connections, together with resilient and efficient energy infrastructure, are key to the EU becoming more autonomous , accelerating electrification and lowering energy prices for Europeans. At the same time, the EU is facing insufficient grid capacity to respond to the growing demand for (clean) electricity, frequent delays in infrastructure projects, and new security threats .

  In response to these challenges, the European Commission presented the European grids package, a set of proposals to  update EU legislation related to energy grids .

  The grids package includes two legislative proposals:

  • revision of the TEN-E regulation
  • a directive to accelerate permit-granting procedures

  The aims of the revision of the TEN-E regulation are threefold.

  improved cross-border infrastructure planning

  shorter permitting procedures for cross-border infrastructure projects

  more resilient and better protected energy infrastructure

  The second part of the package, the directive to accelerate permit-granting procedures, will amend the permitting rules in three existing directives :

  • the renewable energy directive
  • the electricity market directive
  • the gas market directive

  The EU member states are currently discussing both proposals in the Council with a view to reaching agreement on them as soon as possible. They will need to agree a common position (general approach) before negotiations with the European Parliament can start.

  Connecting Europe Facility

  The Connecting Europe Facility for Energy (CEF Energy) is the EU program that ensures funding for the implementation of the TEN-E policy framework . With this funding the EU supports investments in new and existing cross-border energy infrastructure.

  For the period 2021-2027 a budget of €5.84 billion was set aside to help the transition towards clean energy and complete the energy union, making the EU’s energy systems more interconnected, smarter and more digitalised. The focus is on cross-border renewable energy projects, interoperability of networks and better integration of the internal energy market.

  2028-2034 program

  The EU is currently setting the priorities for the 2028-2034 programme. In December 2025 the Council agreed a partial general approach on the operational aspects of the program. The budget and some other provisions are still to be decided, depending on the outcome of the discussions on the EU’s new long-term budget , the multiannual financial framework (MFF).

  The Commission has proposed a fivefold increase in the CEF Energy budget for 2028-2034, from €5.8 billion to €29.91 billion. It has also proposed making domestic grid projects eligible for funding under the national and regional partnership plans and the European Competitiveness Fund.

  The Council wants to maintain the current structure of the CEF but also provide more flexibility to be able to adapt investment priorities to Europe’s new geopolitical context, and to the need to reinforce critical networks and integrate growing shares of renewable energy.