Answer to a written question – Ensuring compliance with cross-zonal electricity trade rules in the EU – P-003600/2025(ASW)

Given the energy crisis and price spikes in south-eastern Europe in the summer 2024, it is crucial to ensure that the existing infrastructure is used as efficiently as possible and, when needed, building the necessary infrastructure as outlined in the Affordable Energy Action Plan adopted in February 2025[1].

This is why full implementation of the minimum 70% cross-zonal capacity requirement by the end of 2025 is also crucial to contribute to lower energy prices in Europe.

The Commission therefore constantly monitors progress on this goal and stands ready to support Member States in its implementation. Furthermore, to reduce volatility in electricity bills, the 2024 Electricity Market Design Reform[2] needs to be fully implemented.

Full implementation will help to protect consumers from short term price-spikes and grant further empowerment and protections, particularly for the most vulnerable. The Commission will work with Member States and Regulatory Authorities to this end.

Regarding the building of new infrastructure in the region, several meetings of the Central and South-Eastern Europe Energy Connectivity (CESEC) High-Level Group[3] were dedicated to interconnections in 2024 and 2025, as well as meetings of the Energy Union Task Force in summer 2025.

The region has also been identified as hosting one of the bottlenecks to be addressed by the Energy Highways Initiative as announced by the President of the Commission in her State of the European Union 2025[4].

In addition, the European Grids Package, to be adopted still in 2025, should target structural challenges to ensure greater cross-border interconnection within Europe.

• [1] https://energy.ec.europa.eu/strategy/affordable-energy_en.
• [2] https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/markets-and-consumers/electricity-market-design_en.
• [3] https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/infrastructure/high-level-groups/central-and-south-eastern-europe-energy-connectivity_en.
• [4] https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/state-union/state-union-2025_en.