EU ministers move to limit Brussels' role in cross-border electricity grid planning

EU energy ministers meeting in Luxembourg are expected to back a draft that would keep a stronger role for national authorities over cross-border electricity grid planning and limit how congestion revenues can be used for cross-border projects.

The move would mark a pushback against the European Commission, which had proposed in December 2025 giving Brussels more control over planning the links that connect national power systems across the bloc.

Sweden secured a concession in the draft, according to the Financial Times, preventing the Commission from using congestion income collected within countries that have different bidding zones. Finnish energy minister Sari Multala called the reduced role for the Commission a good thing, the FT reported.

What is at stake

The dispute is about who should steer the planning of electricity infrastructure that crosses EU borders: national governments or the Commission.

Congestion revenue is money collected when bottlenecks form on the electricity network. The fight over that income matters because it can help fund expensive cross-border projects and wider grid upgrades.

The Commission has argued that Europe needs a stronger central role to modernize its electricity infrastructure. Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen said he would also seek to mobilize private financing for the costly upgrades, while still arguing that Brussels should play a stronger role than it does now.

The Luxembourg meeting

The Luxembourg talks were expected to produce a member-state draft on June 26, 2026. That draft, if formally adopted, would preserve more national control over grid planning and narrow the use of congestion revenues for cross-border projects.

The outcome reflects resistance from member states that do not want the Commission to direct decisions over national infrastructure. Sweden was among the strongest opponents of the original plan, and its concession suggests the final language may be more restrictive than the Commission wanted.

What comes next

The next step is a formal agreement on the draft and publication of the final Council text or ministerial statement.

That will clarify how far the Commission's role is being curtailed, and whether the Swedish concession is reflected in the final wording. The Commission's response will also be watched closely.