European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Press conference by Executive Vice-President Ribera and Commissioner Jørgensen on AccelerateEU Brussels, 22 April 2026 Executive Vice-President Ribera Allow me to start with a smart and short reminder. Today it is Earth Day. It is a day where we remind ourselves of the importance of counting on a healthy planet to ensure life. We know that healthy conditions, envi...
European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Press conference by Executive Vice-President Ribera and Commissioner Jørgensen on AccelerateEU Brussels, 22 April 2026 Executive Vice-President Ribera Allow me to start with a smart and short reminder. Today it is Earth Day. It is a day where we remind ourselves of the importance of counting on a healthy planet to ensure life. We know that healthy conditions, environment policies, climate policies have also been part of our discussions dealing with energy policies. But today we have very important reasons why to address energy policy beyond these very key aspects. Today, we deal with energy, energy policies, to speak about security. Including economic security, support to our people and to our business. Because as you know well, we Europeans want peace and prosperity. We need energy and we know that it can no longer be used as an instrument of domination or war. But you also know that this is something we have been working on for a long while and this is why we decided that it was important to underscore, underline, that accelerating our energy plants is important also in terms of security. Energy security, economic security. We want to deploy a different system, built on clean homegrown solutions, electrification and efficiency, thinking that these are main drivers to gain freedom, autonomy, to reduce vulnerabilities. And we have reasons to be optimistic in this field. Renewable energy generation in Europe reached a new record high in the first quarter of this year, fifteen percent (15%) higher than in the first quarter of 2025. When speaking about energy, we also speak about social fairness, not as a distant, intangible objective, but as something people can feel in their day-to-day life: lower bills, secure supply, greater confidence for business. This means electrification of our mobility, thinking about heat pumps, batteries, rooftop solar, empower citizens to benefits from clean energy. Clean solutions can't be something only for a few. They must become an accessible choice for everyone. We must develop policies to ensure that what is fair is also an easy choice and affordable solution. So to ensure that everybody can experience the benefits to count on a different energy solution. Because it is fair, because it also needs to be an easy and affordable choice. This is why we need to shield the most vulnerable. This crisis will have significant social consequences. But we think that we need to address the challenges, acting together, working together. This marks a moment to accelerate, to deploy at scale, to invest massively in solutions that can be deployed at home. Because they will bring us the energy sovereignty we are looking for. Today's crisis shows us to what extent speeding up our energy transition is key for competitiveness, resilience and prosperity, and we are in a better situation than in the previous energy crisis. We have done a lot, but we still need to do more to accelerate, as it is said in this communication, but also to shield, to develop a shield for those that could be suffering the most in the current crisis. It triggers to double down our action. This is why we call it AccelerateEU. So to ensure that this Communication is part of our ongoing response, we stand ready to take further action if the situation could worsen. We don't know how long it could last. We know that we want to respond since the very first moment. Five sets of actions, to be undertaken both at the European level and at the Member State level. Thinking on coordination to deploy emergency measures, thinking on the set of actions that intend to protect consumers and industry from price shocks. In this regard, we are concluding a State Aid Temporary Framework while keeping the possibility to deploy targeted and temporary measures to support those most affected by this crisis. To President von der Leyen, Commissioner Jørgensen have been sharing with their colleagues and we will be discussing the framework that we think the most adequate in the coming, building on our experience to better address the challenges faced by consumers — by encouraging energy savings, accelerating the shift away from fossil fuels, and including proposals to: protect consumers from disconnections, to develop social leasing schemes , to ensure that social fairness of costs through taxation is also taken into consideration. There's a third set of actions aiming to accelerate the shift to homegrown clean energy. We have been working, led by Commissioner Jørgensen, on electrification, to facilitate the lowering of the electricity to fossil fuel price ratio. To develop some of the solutions that are already within reach. The fourth set of actions is stepping up our energy system, by accelerating the efforts on grids and favouring electricity through taxation. And finally, we are convinced that it is important to keep on attracting investment, to accelerate our investments. To invest in the energy transition is the best decision that we, Europeans, can make. Not only for climate, environmental or social reasons, also thinking on our security, on our competitiveness and the need to count on long lasting prosperity for all. I'm sure that you will be pleased by the introductory comments that Commissioner Jørgensen will be making immediately after. Thanks a lot. --- Commissioner Jørgensen Since the beginning of the conflict in the Middle East our fossil fuel import bill has increased by over EUR 24 billion. That's more than €500 million per day. These costs are being felt here and now, in homes and businesses across Europe. But the true impact of this crisis is long term. It is evolving. It is unpredictable. And here, it is important to be clear with our citizens. The coming months will be filled with uncertainties. The crisis will hit different Member States in different ways. As we cannot predict everything, we must be prepared for anything. But in the face of these uncertainties, there are things we can be certain about. We can protect the most vulnerable citizens in our communities. We can protect the most exposed sectors of our economies, such as energy intensive industries. And crucially, we can take action that will protect us from future shocks. We need to act fast. And we need to work together. Increasing coordination between Member States Because shared European action can protect us from the worst impacts of this crisis. We will therefore work with Member States to refill our gas stocks in time for next winter, without adding unnecessary pressure on markets. And we will step up action to ensure that the supply of fuels, including for planes, are adequate across the whole Union. I know this is a concern for many given the approach of summer. We will coordinate more and better to secure supplies. We will seek to maximise existing refining capacity in Europe, and look into our rules on strategic and emergency stocks, to see if more can be done. Supporting MS in protecting consumers and industry from price peaks When it comes to protecting consumers from price peaks, Member States have been given the tools that they need. And the EU's role is to support, coordinate, and accelerate – so that our actions can have as much impact as possible. We present Member States with the best practices and the most effective solutions to protect the citizens and the sectors that are most exposed. Energy vouchers for low-income households. Financial supports for energy-saving products. National campaigns to promote energy efficiency. Practical steps like these can truly make a difference. Decreasing and replacing oil and gas consumption We must focus on actions that deliver double value – by providing short-term benefits, while also helping citizens and industry to capture the long-term savings of clean energy. For example, Austria – they are helping their vulnerable citizens to replace fossil fuel boilers. Belgium and Germany are offering reduced VAT and lower electricity prices respectively to boost the installation of heat pumps. France will re-launch its “social leasing” programme for electric vehicles – this enables modest-income households to lease a new EV at affordable rates. These are all examples of why we shouldn't simply burn taxpayers' money on fossil fuel subsidies. We should use it to build up and invest in modern technologies, that add value for European consumers and manufacturers, year after year. We will help Member States to multiply solutions like these, as well as to improve energy efficiency, and to replace oil and gas with alternatives like geothermal, solar thermal, and advanced sustainable biofuels. Promoting electrification and clean, homegrown energy This must be a wake-up call and a turning point – when Europe steps away from fossil fuel dependence, and steps towards clean energy autonomy. Because now it is more obvious than ever – clean energy means security. It means affordability. It means independence. This is why, today, we propose an acceleration towards electrification. Now is the time to push fossil fuels out of electricity production. Now is the time to electrify industry, transport, heating systems and buildings across Europe. As Europe, we must combine our efforts to roll out more renewables and clean energy projects. We must reinforce our infrastructure – with more connections, more storage capacity, and more flexibility. Boosting investments Crucially, we must drive more investments in the clean transition. That means unlocking every source of funding: EU, national, and private. To Member States, I say: there are resources on the table. Where it makes sense for you, and where you see the opportunity, you can redirect these resources towards high-impact energy projects that deliver rapid, real-world benefits for your people. And we are here to help you with that. But we must go further. We will convene a Clean Energy Investment Summit—bringing together financiers, developers, and public institutions—to turn ambition into action. Our goal? To mobilise the private investment we urgently need for immediate, game-changing solutions. By investing in clean energy and electrification, we unlock more money for our economy. In 2024, we spent about €375 billion on imports of fossil fuels. In the future, instead of buying something and burning it to get energy, and then buying it again, we need to produce our own, homegrown, clean energy. Thank you. SPEECH/26/863 Press contacts: Anna-Kaisa ITKONEN (+32 2 29 57501) Cristiana MARCHITELLI (+32 2 29 89407) General public inquiries: Europe Direct by phone 00 800 67 89 10 11 or by email Related media Read-out of the College meeting / press conference by Executive Vice-President Teresa RIBERA and Commissioner Dan JØRGENSEN on AccelerateEU Read-out of the College meeting / press conference by Executive Vice-President Teresa RIBERA and Commissioner Dan JØRGENSEN on AccelerateEU
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