European Commission approves cross-border renewable energy projects

The European Commission has designated three cross-border renewable energy projects as eligible for European funding. These projects, totaling 850 MW, include the WIND project involving Ukraine and Romania, the DEPLOY project involving Poland and Germany, and the ZEGA-LINNK project involving Austria and Germany. The designation, announced by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), allows these initiatives to seek funding for studies and construction under the Connecting Europe Facility.

In a separate address to the European Parliament, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted the urgent need to address rising energy costs and reduce Europe's energy dependency. She noted that natural gas prices have increased by 140% since late February, placing significant financial pressure on citizens and businesses. Von der Leyen emphasized that while the EU has successfully reduced its reliance on Russian gas from 45% in 2022 to 12% currently, energy costs vary significantly across member states due to differing energy mixes, necessitating flexible and targeted support measures.