This Summer, Europe burned. Wildfires tore through southern and central Europe from May onward, rivers ran dry, harvests failed, hospitals filled, and the four back-to-back heatwaves are estimated to have claimed more than 35,000 lives across the continent. At the same time, uninterrupted geopolitical tensions continued pushing the cost of imported oil and gas up, adding more than $78 billion to Europe’s energy bill for households and businesses in a matter of months.
It’s tempting to treat these as two separate stories, one about climate, one about energy prices. But they are not. Both trace back to the same root cause: a continent that still depends on fossil fuels it largely has to import, and that pays for that dependence twice over, in its bills and in its climate.
And if this Summer wasn’t enough on its own, taking just a small step back reveals a pattern: this is Europe’s third energy crisis in six years, and each one has been handled in largely the same ad-hoc way. REPowerEU in 2022 tried to mitigate the Russian Invasion of Ukraine with substantial investment in hydrogen, the April 2026 Accelerate EU Communication links fossil fuel dependence directly to energy security, and the recently published Electrification Action Plan sets a general direction for fossil fuel phase-out by announcing new measures. But a direction set in Brussels only travels so far once it reaches 27 different Member States, each moving at their own pace.
When faced with a crisis of competitiveness, President Von der Leyen commissioned the Draghi report. Faced with questions about how to complete the single market, she commissioned the Letta report. Now facing its third energy crisis in six years, Europe’s energy security deserves the same treatment: an independent, expert-led and science based assessment of how Member States and markets can come together to secure the continent’s energy future.
That’s why we recently joined more than 200 organisations calling on the Commission to mandate exactly that. In this September edition of Watt’s Next, we look at what we think that report should actually contain and how it should be announced.
Europe has the direction. It needs a blueprint.
The ambition is already set. The Electrification Action Plan, published this July, laid out a clear vision for an electrified, decarbonised European energy system, and the technologies to get there – clean electricity, heat pumps, flexibility, storage, electrified vehicles- are available at scale. What’s missing is delivery. In other words, building that homegrown electricity system sits largely with the 27 Member States, and right now their plans don’t always line up. Countries are moving toward shared EU goals at very different speeds, some are pulling ahead on grid buildout, electrification and clean electricity deployment, others are lagging, or face structural problems that remain unaddressed in Brussels.
What should be in the report?
The report we call on the European Commission to mandate needs to be, first and foremost, an honest assessment of where each Member State actually stands. In doing so, it can identify what works and what holds the slow movers back, and, building on that, establish best practices grounded in regional challenges and shared obstacles.
For example, while some European nations grapple with grid congestion driven by a renewable energy boom, others struggle to electrify due to a legacy dependence on fossil fuels. Poland, for instance, still generates over 50% of its electricity from coal and lacks the natural capacity for rapid, abundant renewable scaling seen in countries like Spain or Portugal. It is vital that the EU accounts for these regional disparities in its energy security strategy, and a report identifying key bottlenecks and good practices throughout Member States would help bridge these gaps.
Another regional specificity amongst many: the strain on the Irish grid caused by the rising number of data centers. Ireland is grappling with this earlier and more acutely than almost any other country in Europe, as AI and data centre growth collide with a small, isolated grid and a slow planning system – a preview of a challenge that France, the Netherlands and other data-centre hubs will face within a few years. An assessment of what went well and what went wrong could turn Ireland’s early experience into a head start for the rest of the continent, rather than a lesson learned the hard way.
The moment to announce it: the State of the European Union on 16 September
The report should be announced in the most strategic and public way possible: by President von der Leyen, in her State of the European Union address on 16 September. It is the one moment when the Commission sets out its priorities in front of the European Parliament, Member States representatives and the full weight of the Brussels press corps. This would give this report the visible, high-level commitment that gave the Draghi and Letta reports their authority from day one. Formally announcing it there wouldn’t just start the work; it would signal that Europe is treating energy security with the same seriousness it has applied to competitiveness and the single market.
News from the Electrification Alliance
- The Electrification Alliance signed a letter urging Ursula von der Leyen to mandate an independent, expert-led and science based draghi-style energy security report. See the letter and its signatories here.
- We also used the slower August month to reflect back on our Electrify Europe event hosted with the Global Renewables Alliance (GRA) in April. Watch the recap video, or relive the event here.
- At the event our Director Adrian Hiel was standing on a physical the Electrification Staircase, if you don’t want the whole 60kg construction but would prefer just downloading it in image format, you can now do so here.
- Join us to discuss Electrification and Energy security at our event on 9 September at the Renaissance Hotel in Brussels. Seats are limited so register quickly here.
- Last but not least: WE ARE HIRING a Junior Communications and Events Officer. If that sounds like you, find out more here. Or see the full job description.
News from members
E-Mobility Europe:
Europe’s E-Mobility Growth Continues: One in Four New Cars Is Now Electric
E-Mobility Europe’s latest figures show continued growth in Europe’s electric vehicle market, with 224,266 new battery electric vehicles (BEVs) registered across 16 key markets in July. This represents 13% year-on-year growth and a 25.7% market share, meaning more than one in four new cars sold was fully electric.
The momentum is also visible year-to-date, with BEV registrations up 30% compared with the previous year and close to 1.5 million new BEVs registered across Europe so far in 2026.
July’s figures show that e-mobility is increasingly becoming a mainstream reality across Europe, while also highlighting the continued importance of consistent national policy support.
See the full EV Bulletin here.
Eurelectric:
As we shift back into full gear, here’s a key update to put at the top of your agenda: Eurelectric is launching the Power Barometer 2026, our annual flagship data report bringing together Europe’s leading policymakers, industry executives, analysts and innovators to unpack the state of the energy transition.
This year’s edition introduces The Power Proof: new evidence showing how clean, diversified electricity systems absorbed the Hormuz shock while fossil markets didn’t. The launch event will feature insights from leading voices across the sector, including Miguel Gil Tertre, Bruno Tobback, Gerard Reid, Eva Chamizo Llatas, Marion Labatut, Jes Munk Hansen, Antonio Lopez‑Nicolas, Ed Porter, and Kristian Ruby.
Join us on 30 September, from 14:00 to 17:30, at Eurelectric’s Brussels offices.
More information and registration: https://www.eurelectric.org/events/power-barometer-2026/
SmartEn:
As smart electrification accelerates across Europe, flexibility has become central to affordability, resilience and competitiveness — and FLEXCON is where the full ecosystem meets to shape what comes next.
This September, smartEn and co-organiser FAN bring back Europe’s premier Flexible Energy conference, FLEXCON, to Antwerp. Expect innovators, utilities, system operators, startups and researchers all under one roof, trading ideas on how to turn flexibility from a buzzword into a backbone of Europe’s energy system. Mark your calendar for this September and get ready to connect with the people driving the flexible energy transition forward. Get your ticket now.
Before that, don’t miss your chance to help shape the rules of tomorrow’s energy data spaces. On 10 September, smartEn joins the open roundtable “CEEDS Governance: What rules do stakeholders need?”, hosted as part of the Insieme project.
The conversation will dig into three key questions at the intersection of energy and data: what accountability mechanisms actually work in energy data spaces; whether federated or centralised governance better balances interoperability and resilience; and how NIS2, the EU Data Act and the Network Code on Cybersecurity fit together. Register here.
Renewables Grid Initiative:
- On 30 November 2026, the Renewables Grid Initiative, together with the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN) and the Global Initiative for Nature, Grids and Renewables (GINGR), are organising the conference Power&Nature in Brussels. Join us to explore how Europe can accelerate electrification, renewable energy and grid deployment while strengthening nature and delivering benefits for people. Discover how Nature- and People-Positive approaches can shape offshore wind, infrastructure planning and investment, and how policy, finance and practical solutions can help us build faster and build well. Hear from policymakers, industry leaders, financiers, civil society and environmental experts. Sign up now and stay tuned for the programme release and the speakers lineup!
- The Renewables Grid Initiative will host the Best Practice Webinar ‘Circular transformers for secure grid supply chains’ on 22 September, diving into dive into Hitachi Energy’s collaboration with Elia Group to close the loop for decommissioned transformers, reducing environmental impacts and enhancing supply chain resilience.
- On 29 September 2026, RGI and the Offshore Coalition for Energy and Nature (OCEaN) will host a joint webinar to launch the new report ‘Shared Seas, Shared Decisions’, diving into stakeholder engagement approaches related to offshore wind and grid development in the North and Baltic Seas. The session will outline the report’s findings and recommendations, after a year-long effort in collecting inspiring examples and developing shared principles to guide the delivery of early, impactful engagement. Register here.
This article was originally posted as part of the Watt’s Next Electrification Alliance newsletter. For timely updates subscribe here.