REPowerEU plan: energy policy in EU countries' recovery and resilience plans
With the REPowerEU plan, the EU wants to end its dependence on Russian fossil fuels by saving energy, diversifying supplies and accelerating the clean energy transition.
What is the REPowerEU plan?
Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has had a devastating impact on Ukraine. It has also severely impacted the EU's economy and society. In March 2022, EU leaders agreed to progressively phase out EU dependence on Russian gas, oil and coal imports by:
- reducing overall reliance on fossil fuels faster
- diversifying supplies and routes
- further developing an EU hydrogen market
- accelerating the development of renewables
- improving the interconnection of European electricity and gas networks
- reinforcing EU contingency planning for security of supply
- improving energy efficiency and promoting circularity
They invited the European Commission to come up with a plan to rapidly reduce the EU's over-dependence on Russian fossil fuels. The Commission presented the REPowerEU plan on 18 May 2022.
In addition to strengthening the EU's strategic autonomy in the energy sector, the plan focuses on supporting the clean energy transition and joining forces for a more resilient energy system.
The REPowerEU plan explained (infographic)
REPowerEU is a plan for:
- saving energy
- producing clean energy
- diversifying the EU's energy supplies
- smartly combining investments and reforms
The REPowerEU plan builds on the full implementation of the Fit for 55 package. The package sets the goal of achieving at least -55% net greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050, in line with the European Green Deal.
Fit for 55
How do EU countries implement the REPowerEU plan?
EU countries are adding specific chapters to their national recovery and resilience plans (RRPs) under Next Generation EU in order to finance key investments and reforms which will help achieve the REPowerEU objectives. These objectives include energy savings, the diversification of energy supplies and the accelerated roll-out of renewables.
Specifically, the reforms and investments should focus on:
- improving energy infrastructure and facilities to meet immediate security-of-supply needs for gas, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), notably to enable the diversification of supply in the interests of the EU as a whole
- boosting energy efficiency in buildings
- decarbonising industry
- increasing the production and uptake of sustainable biomethane and renewable or fossil-free hydrogen
- increasing the share and accelerating the deployment of renewable energy
- addressing energy poverty
- incentivising a reduction in energy demand
- addressing internal and cross-border energy transmission and distribution bottlenecks and supporting zero-emission transport and its infrastructure, including railways
- supporting electricity storage
The REPowerEU chapters outline new reforms and investments started from 1 February 2022 onwards, and/or the scaled-up aspects of reforms and investments already included in the adopted RRPs, with their corresponding milestones and targets.
The Commission proposed the necessary amendments to the Recovery and Resilience Facility regulation in May 2022. In December 2022 Council and Parliament reached a political agreement on financing REPowerEU, enabling EU countries to add dedicated chapters to their national recovery and resilience plans. On 21 February 2023, the Council formally adopted the amending regulation.
How is the REPowerEU plan financed?
The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) is the main source of financing for REPowerEU. Specifically, REPowerEU chapters are mainly financed by remaining loans which amount to €225 billion.
Member states need to ensure synergies and complementarity between measures already funded under the RFF and initiatives which are supported via other national or EU funds.
Member states can request pre-financing of up to 20% of funds allocated to REPowerEU chapters, which is payable in a maximum of two tranches.
The financing of grants, for an amount up to €20 billion, is provided by the Innovation Fund (60%) and the sale of Emission Trading System (ETS) allowances (40%).
The amount in grants for each member state is allocated using a formula which takes into account:
- cohesion policy criteria
- member states' dependence on fossil fuels
- the increase in investment prices
Member states can also transfer up to €5.4 billion of funds from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve and the cohesion policy funds to finance REPowerEU measures.
The recovery and resilience facility
What are the key results of the REPowerEU plan?
Measures taken under the REPowerEU plan have protected EU citizens and businesses from energy shortages, whilst accelerating the transition to clean energy and reinforcing EU strategic autonomy. They have also contributed to diversifying supply sources and routes.
More specifically, under the plan, the EU has taken action by:
- adopting gas demand reduction measures
- bringing in gas storage rules
- boosting investments in renewables
- establishing accelerated permitting procedures for renewables
- facilitating joint gas purchasing
Furthermore, imports of Russian gas dropped from 45% in 2021 to 13% in 2025. As for other fossil fuel imports, following the adoption of EU sanctions against Russia, all imports of Russian coal were banned and oil imports have been reduced from 27% to below 3% in 2025.
In order to put a complete stop to the remaining imports of Russian oil and gas, the Commission presented the REPowerEU roadmap in May 2025 as a follow-up to the REPowerEU plan. One of its key deliverables is a new regulation bringing a complete end to Russian gas imports into the EU.
In December 2025, the Council and the Parliament reached a provisional agreement on this new regulation and it was formally adopted on 26 January 2026. It contains a stepwise prohibition on both LNG and pipeline gas from Russia, with a full ban from the end of 2026 and autumn 2027 respectively.
Ending Russian energy imports
See also
How did the EU respond to the 2022 energy crisis?
How the EU is greening energy
Where does the EU's gas come from? (infographic)
Last review: 26 January 2026