Energy policy of the European Union
legislation in the area of energetics in the European Union
The energy policy of the European Union focuses on ensuring energy security and affordability, integrating the energy markets of European Union member states, improving energy efficiency, expanding renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate policy has become a central part of EU energy policy, particularly through the European Green Deal and the Fit for 55 package. The EU has set a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels and aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, energy security became a renewed priority of EU policy. The REPowerEU plan seeks to reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels through faster deployment of renewable energy, improved energy efficiency and investment in energy infrastructure.
EU energy policy has developed as European integration has progressed, from cooperation on coal and nuclear energy to a shared energy market. In 2007, Treaty of Lisbon established energy policy as an explicit area of EU competence.
History
Early days
The history of energy markets in Europe started with the ECSC (European Coal and Steel Community), which was created in 1951 in the aftermath of World War II. A second key moment was the formation in 1957 Euratom, to collaborate on nuclear energy. The Treaty of Rome (signed on 25 March 1957; started on 1 January 1958) established the free movement of goods, which was intended to create a single market also for energy.
Three decades later, integration of energy markets had yet to take place.
The public source identifies “Energy policy of the European Union” as legislation in the area of energetics in the European Union. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Energy, policy and European.
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Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q535437. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2030, 1990, 2050 and 2022.
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This entry incorporates text from “Energy policy of the European Union” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.