Press Release Unlocking Electrification: ENTSO-E position on the Future-proof Electricity Bills Proposal

Today, ENTSO-E publishes its position on the European Commission proposal for a Regulation on Future-Proofing Electricity Bills in the Union.

President von der Leyen’s 2026 State of the Union made it clear: Europe’s future is increasingly electric. “The European Commission’s proposal on future-proofing electricity bills is an important step towards accelerating electrification by making affordable and clean electricity more accessible for households and businesses”, states Zbyněk Boldiš, President of ENTSO-E. “To translate this ambition into reality”, Damian Cortinas, Chair of the Board continues, “Europe must invest in and strengthen the power grids that connect new decarbonised generation, growing electricity demand and innovative flexibility solutions across the continent. Future-proof electricity bills are one side of Europe’s electrified future – strong grids the other.”

ENTSO-E welcomes the European Commission’s proposal, including the suggested principles for network charges and emphasis placed on accelerated grid connections, enhanced grid data exchange, rapid smart meter deployment and fair electricity taxation. To tap into the proposal’s full potential, ENTSO-E proposes a reinforced focus on financing grid investment and supporting regulatory frameworks that help attract capital under challenging market conditions.

Five recommendations to strengthen the proposal

ENTSO-E recommends that co-legislators amend the proposal to:

1. Ensure that remuneration frameworks for TSOs provide investors with adequate risk-return profiles, appropriately reflecting market conditions, to attract the capital needed for grid investment.
2. Provide incentives that support a wider range of policy objectives, including security of supply, market integration, grid resilience, physical security and cybersecurity.
3. Entrust National Regulatory Authorities to assess, in cooperation with TSOs, appropriate performance frameworks instead of mandating ACER to apply top-down, one-size-fits-all efficiency comparisons.
4. Rely on subsidiarity and flexibility for the design of cost-reflective network tariffs and remuneration frameworks.
5. Ensure that any EU grid data exchange framework fostering innovation remains voluntary, secure, focused, and supported by adequate financing.

Europe’s electrified future will not be built on lower electricity bills alone. It will be built on the strong grids that make such lower bills possible.

Future-proof grids for future-proof bills

Affordable electricity and Europe’s electrification depend on modern, resilient and efficient grids. Regulatory frameworks must therefore enable the investments needed to deliver a competitive, secure and decarbonised European economy.

ENTSO-E remains committed to supporting the European institutions throughout the legislative process and looks forward to contributing its technical expertise as discussions progress.

Please find ENTSO-E’s position on the European Commission Proposal for a Regulation on Future-proofing Electricity Bills in the Union here.

Read ENTSO-E’s position on the Electrification Action Plan here.