Brussels, 22 April 2026 – Presented today, the European Commission’s AccelerateEU plan targets fossil fuel dependence as the root cause of Europe’s energy crises and sets out clever measures to reduce prices through electrification and energy savings, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) said.

While the plan acknowledges that Member States may tax windfall profits from energy companies, it leaves full discretion at national level and sets out no EU-wide framework, despite calls from Member States and civil society.

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Luke Haywood, head of climate and energy at EEB, said:

“There are signs the EU has learned some lessons from the last energy crisis, when around €540 billion was spent shielding consumers from rising prices without tackling the root cause: fossil fuel dependence. This time, the emphasis on cutting fossil fuel use through electrification and energy savings is the right direction, and so is the recognition that short-term relief must not undermine long-term decarbonisation.”

“But these lessons are still on paper, not in practice. While oil and gas companies continue to profit from high prices in absence of windfall profit taxes, too many governments are still opting for diesel and gas tax breaks to soften high prices – an approach that is expensive, not socially targeted and that will not help us reduce fossil fuel consumption. Direct payments to citizens and investment support would be more efficient, more socially targeted, and better for the climate.”

The good: electrification and energy savings

The EEB welcomes the plan’s stronger emphasis on reducing fossil fuel consumption. Among the key elements highlighted:

• Strong push for electrification, including heat pumps, industrial electrification and improved electricity-to-fossil price ratios.
• Large-scale energy savings in buildings, targeting efficiency upgrades, with new investment models developed through the Energy Transition Investment Council and the Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition.
• Expansion of renewables-based heating, reducing gas use in buildings and industry.
• Support for vulnerable households, including energy vouchers, social leasing and protection from disconnection.
• Reform of electricity taxation and network charges, aimed at making electricity more affordable than fossil fuels.

The bad: gaps on investment

The EEB also points to a lack of detail on how key objectives will be implemented. While electrification, particularly through heat pumps, is identified as central, the plan does not include dedicated EU funding streams or binding measures to ensure deployment at the required scale. If anything, it even allows for the reuse of Recovery and Resilience Funds for heating and transport investments and the extension of its spending deadline.

The strategy relies heavily on mobilising private capital, despite significant investment needs estimated at around €660 billion per year until 2030. The EEB notes that stronger direct public investment, particularly in buildings and energy infrastructure, could help accelerate progress where market incentives remain insufficient.

The ugly: weak demand-side measures, strong focus on nuclear

The EEB also raises concerns that the plan weakens earlier emphasis on demand reduction, particularly with the disappearance of several transport-related measures that were present in earlier drafts: teleworking, public transport, cycling.

At the same time, the plan gives significant attention to nuclear energy, framing it as a key contributor to decarbonisation, system flexibility and security of supply. While acknowledging that some Member States include nuclear in their energy mix, the EEB warns that this emphasis risks diverting attention from faster, more cost-effective solutions such as energy savings, electrification and renewable deployment. Presenting small modular reactors, still an unproven technology at commercial scale, as part of a near-term crisis response is an absurd distraction from real solutions.

A structural test for EU energy policy

The Commission frames the current crisis as a turning point for Europe’s energy system. The EEB agrees and the direction the EU should take is clear: reducing fossil fuel consumption through electrification and energy savings.

The effectiveness of the AccelerateEU plan, however, will depend on whether these ambitions translate into concrete action at national level and actually reduce Europe’s structural dependence on fossil fuels, rather than continuing to manage its consequences crisis after crisis.

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Notes for editors:

• How to combat high energy prices – and how not to
• The Case for a Permanent EU Fossil Fuel Tax
• Saving Energy for Europe – 2023 report