Bellona Europa welcomes the ongoing efforts by the European Commission and the opportunity to provide recommendations on the REPowerEU update to the Recovery and Resilience plans.

We welcome the REPowerEU initiative of the EU to reduce its dependence on fossil gas, finally moving towards both climate goals and energy security. Together with other decarbonisation strategies, REPowerEU should be designed to kickstart additional renewable energy deployment and focus on energy efficiency to create a more resilient and clean energy system.

Here are our key recommendations for the REPowerEU update to the Recovery and Resilience plans:

• The fossil fuel focus needs to be on a strictly temporary basis. No additional infrastructure financing and development is required.
• Boosting energy efficiency and renewable generation is vital. Inefficient uses of energy and electricity cannot be prioritised.
• Cross-border infrastructure is crucial for energy system optimisation and other decarbonisation technologies.
• Accelerated re-qualification of the workforce is needed and welcome to ensure that the transition to a clean and resilient energy system is successful
• The Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) criteria should not be circumvented.

Read more about our recommendations on the contribution of Recovery and Resilience Plans to the specific REPowerEU objectives outlined in Article 21c.