REPowerEU Is Falling Behind
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In a report published today, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) reveals that REPowerEU — the EU’s flagship plan to secure energy independence from Russia — is losing momentum at a critical moment for Europe’s energy security. As instability in the Middle East introduces new risks to global energy markets, the ECA warns that the plan is failing to deliver the expected results and risks missing its ambitious targets without a substantial policy push.
Launched in May 2022, REPowerEU was designed to phase out the EU’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels through a combination of measures: diversifying energy supply, accelerating renewable energy deployment, and strengthening cross border energy interconnections. The European Commission estimated that €300 billion in additional investments would be required by 2030 and allocated this amount through the EU’s post pandemic Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). Member States were asked to add dedicated REPowerEU chapters to their national recovery plans to support the initiative.
However, according to the ECA, the governance framework lacks effective tools to guide implementation and reliably monitor progress. Four years after its launch, REPowerEU remains largely stagnant. Member States have committed only €54.3 billion of the €300 billion available — barely one fifth of the required investment. The ECA notes that this gap either reflects an overestimation of investment needs or a failure to translate objectives into concrete actions.
“Four years after its launch, REPowerEU remains at a standstill, despite the hundreds of billions of euros allocated,” said Mihails Kozlovs, ECA Member responsible for the report. “Now is the time to learn the right lessons, as new geopolitical tensions and their impact on energy markets make it imperative to accelerate diversification and avoid excessive dependence on any single supplier. We call for coordinated efforts to reinvigorate the plan.”
The ECA highlights that REPowerEU has had limited resonance across EU countries. National energy and climate plans — which were expected to play a central role — often lack specific measures or targets aligned with REPowerEU’s objectives. As a result, the plan’s influence on national policy remains weak.
The report also shows that while EU sanctions have significantly reduced imports of Russian oil, the exact volume of Russian crude entering the EU through third countries or the so called “shadow fleet” remains unclear. Gas imports from Russia have also fallen, although some Member States imported more Russian gas in 2024 than before the war in Ukraine. The ECA stresses that part of the decline in Russian energy imports is due to mild winters and reduced consumption driven by high energy prices — meaning the direct impact of REPowerEU may be even smaller than it appears.
Although the plan has helped accelerate certain projects, its contribution to expanding renewable energy capacity remains minimal. Based on the targets set in the RRF chapters, the additional renewable capacity delivered so far is negligible compared to the 103 GW goal. The same applies to energy interconnections: the ECA identified only three relevant measures across two Member States, one of which was ultimately withdrawn.
For the ECA, these findings confirm that REPowerEU has not yet produced the transformative impact promised in 2022. Without a renewed political commitment and stronger governance, Europe risks falling short of its strategic objective to secure long term energy autonomy in an increasingly volatile global landscape.
