REPowerEU

REPowerEU is a strategy adopted by the European Commission in May 2022 in response to the sharp rise in energy prices and the energy security risks that followed Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The energy crisis triggered by the invasion of Ukraine led to a significant increase in electricity prices across Europe, partly due to the structure of the EU electricity market, where prices are often set by the marginal cost of production. As natural gas prices rise sharply in 2021 and 2022, electricity prices increased accordingly, making the reduction of dependence on imported gas a central objective of EU energy policy.

Against this backdrop, REPowerEU aims to reduce the EU's dependence on Russian fossil fuels, accelerate the deployment of renewable energy, improve energy efficiency, and strengthen the resilience of the EU energy system. This initiative combines short-term crisis response measures, such as demand reduction and diversification of energy supply, with longer-term structural reforms. It is also closely aligned with the EU's climate objectives under the European Green Deal.

REPowerEU builds on existing EU legislation, notably the Fit for 55 package, which sets the goal of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and achieving climate neutrality by 2050. In addition, the plan also makes use of funding under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, allowing member states to finance energy infrastructure, renewable energy projects, and energy efficiency measures through dedicated REPowerEU chapters in their national recovery and resilience plans.

As a result of the measures taken since 2022, imports of Russian gas into the EU have declined significantly, falling from around 150 billion cubic metres in 2021 to approximately 52 billion cubic metres in 2024. Over the same period, Russia's share of the EU gas market dropped from about 45% to below 20%. Building on this progress, the European Commission adopted a legislative proposal on 17 June 2025 to gradually phase out imports of Russian gas and oil by the end of 2027, while further accelerating renewable energy deployment and energy efficiency improvements.

In March 2026 the EU asked Ukraine to allow Europe access to pipelines carrying Russian oil, with a view to restarting them.

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