EU launches environmental and energy network reforms

The European Commission on Wednesday unveiled its long-awaited Environmental Omnibus and Grids Package, advancing efforts to simplify EU environmental and energy infrastructure rules in line with this mandate’s focus on regulatory streamlining.

A streamlined overhaul of environmental rules

The Environmental Omnibus package introduces simplifications across industrial emissions, the circular economy, environmental assessments and geospatial data. Its objective is simple: to speed up authorisation procedures for strategic projects such as digital infrastructure, critical raw materials and affordable housing, supporting the EU’s transition to a cleaner and more digital economy. 

As for how it will streamline its overhaul, the package includes a regulation to accelerate environmental assessments, a proposal to suspend certain rules on authorised representatives for extended producer responsibility in batteries and packaging waste, and a directive to ease requirements under the INSPIRE framework for spatial information. 

A central change gives operators greater flexibility under the Industrial Emissions Directive. Transformation plans will no longer be mandatory, independent audits will no longer be required, and operators will have more time to prepare their environmental management systems. 

A unified push to modernise Europe’s grids

The Grids Package, for its part, aims to deepen the integration of EU electricity networks, accelerate electrification, lower energy costs, and strengthen security of supply as the bloc continues to reduce its dependence on Russian imports. 

To achieve this, the Commission proposes a revision of the TEN-E Regulation and a new directive to speed up permitting procedures for renewables and for the internal energy and gas markets. Binding EU-wide deadlines will apply to permits for grid, renewable, storage and charging projects, with all procedures fully digitalised. 

National authorities will receive additional resources to support implementation. Resilience and security form a core part of the package, reflecting the EU’s Economic Security Strategy. Smart infrastructure and security upgrades will now be eligible for EU funding under TEN-E, and security considerations will be integrated into planning from the earliest stages to reduce exposure to unreliable external actors.

To guide investments, the Commission will publish a central EU energy scenario, updated every four years, to improve coordination between Member States and system operators. The forthcoming Clean Energy Investment Strategy will outline how to attract additional private investment. 

The Commission estimates around €1.2 trillion will be needed for electricity grids by 2040, drawing on CEF-Energy as well as national and regional funding sources. The proposals now move to the European Parliament and Council, which will review them within their respective competences with the aim of advancing the simplification measures swiftly.