Electrify Europe now: homegrown electricity is the way out of Europe’s energy crisis

The second day at the WindEurope Annual Event 2026 is all about electrification. Europe must move from crisis to confidence - replacing fossil imports with homegrown electricity. Fast. Electrification must become a strategic priority for Europe, not a policy footnote. That's the only way to protect households and industry from fossil price swings, and to make Europe a place to invest again.

The war in Iran is another painful reminder of Europe's overdependence on fossil fuel imports The EU imports 64% of the energy it consumes - a structural weakness. Electrification with homegrown electricity is Europe's only future proof energy security plan.

Wind energy is here to deliver. It reduces Europe's import dependence. It stabilises prices. And it keeps industrial value creation in Europe. Since the Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Europe has produced more homegrown renewable energy and imported fewer energy products.

But progress is slow - especially on electrification. The EU's electrification rate is stagnating at less than a quarter of total energy use.

Tinne van der Straeten, CEO of WindEurope, says:" Every drop of oil, every tonne of coal, every molecule of gas we replace with renewable electricity is energy we no longer need to import. Electrification is therefore a strategic imperative for Europe's independence, resilience, and prosperity."

From crisis to confidence: The Madrid Call to Action

In the "Madrid Call to Action", WindEurope laid out 10 concrete actions to revive Europe's dormant electrification efforts. Europe needs a single trajectory for electrification. Built on three elements: boosting renewable electricity supply, connecting this supply to demand; and empowering demand by making the switch to electrified applications easy and affordable.

The technology to electrify Europe is here and ready. Government's must now show leadership. They can take simple actions to incentivise the switch to electrification. Those include:

• Prioritising easy-to-electrify sectors: Industry can already electrify large parts of its heat demand, especially low and medium temperature processes used to produce paper, pulp, food and beverages. Up to 930 TWh of industrial process heat can already be electrified - equivalent to the combined power demand of France and Germany. In the current energy crisis, there's no time to waste addressing those low-hanging fruits.
• Reducing VAT on heat pumps and electric vehicles to zero: The same is true for private households which can shift to commercially available electrification technologies. They can buy electric vehicles and heating systems today already. Tax-incentives can help create additional demand in the current fuel crisis.
• Permanently cutting taxes on electricity: Taxes and levies on electricity are too high and send the wrong consumption incentives. In Europe, 25% of final electricity prices for industry are VAT and regulated charges, and 75% are energy and network charges. Homegrown power should be the cheapest option for households and companies.
• Simplifying State aid: EUState aid rules can be simplified to unleash a true electrification wave in industry. This it particularly true where industry wants to switch to renewables via Power Purchase Agreements. Fast-tracking industrial PPAs could replace around 1,000 LNG cargoes annually - with homegrown and secure renewable electricity.

Eagerly awaited EU energy crisis response

The European Commission will take an import step later today, publishing its energy crisis response package "Accelerate EU". The package will include important measures on electricity grids, taxes and charges.

Some EU Member States have taken decisive action already. France will nearly double support for electrification to €10 billion a year by 2030. It is fast-tracking electric heating with a ban on gas boilers in new buildings from 2026. And by 2030, two-thirds of new cars sold in France must be electric. Other countries are also unlocking large volumes of clean power: 43.5 GW of wind permitted since 2022 alone could produce around 115 TWh - more than the annual power demand of the Netherlands.

Other Member States should follow the French example - powering Europe with homegrown electricity is the only way to strengthen energy security and ensure industrial competitiveness.