With #President Ursula von der Leyen’s urgent call for “Europe’s independence moment” still ringing in our hearts and minds, what geopolitical happening do you think have shaped the EU’s ability to act this year?

🌎 4. Diversify partnerships and deepening international cooperation.

Will the EU be able to achieve greater autonomy and its “independence moment”, while simultaneously expanding its global agency?

📈 3. Protect citizens while visibly delivering tangible benefits.

Can the EU and its member states develop policy that can deliver benefits and protection for people across #defence, #industry, #energy, investments and external action?

⚡2. Harness electrification and circularity as levers for strategic autonomy, competitiveness and energy security.

Can the EU translate its #competitiveness rhetoric into an assertive focus on turning its #CleanIndustrialDeal into effective policies?

💰1. Rebuild financial autonomy and capacity to invest.

Can Europe harness upcoming openings, such as the negotiations on the #MultiannualFinancialFramework (MFF), and create new ones?

In fact, geopolitical fragmentation and uncertainty has almost reinforced the perception of Europe as a ⚓ necessary anchor ⚓ in times of volatility.

And the EU remains resilient - a symbol of strength, continuity and hope.

As we move into 2026, there will be four key tests 👇

The EU has bent under internal and external threats, but also shown it can respond faster and differently in turbulent times, including:

🌍 A greater recognition of Europe’s leadership.

🌱 A growing drive for #EuropeanReindustrialisation, in part through #Decarbonisation.

As 2025 draws to a close, Europe has clarity on the factors that limit its autonomy:

⚙️ structural dependencies

💰 constrained finances

⚠️ and outdated defence and industrial capabilities.

📘To learn more about the benefits of EU electrification, read our analysis: www.e3g.org/publications...

📘 Our new analysis shows how outdated grid planning and weak governance are slowing Europe’s shift away from fossil fuels.

Read more: www.e3g.org/news/outdate...

🔔All eyes on the #EU Energy Ministers meeting on 15th December. We’ll be watching to see if they deliver the momentum needed to move this agenda forward.

💡 The Council will now need to take the lead to ensure the delivery of affordable and secure energy for European industry and citizens. That will mean swiftly agreeing on the Commission’s Grids Package as well as supporting the delivery of the proposals in the Clean Industrial Deal package.

However, the proposal to re-open existing legislation, such as the Renewable Energy Directive, means the Grids Package risks undermining calls for a stable and predictable regulatory framework.

Additional welcome steps forward include:

🔹 Strengthening the role of public institutions.

🔹 Improving regional coordination.

🔹 Improvements to connection queue management.

🔹 Measures to make the best use of existing grids.

✅There are a lot of good ingredients in the package.

A landmark proposal for a central European energy scenario would guide planning across the continent and align with climate and energy objectives.