Oesterreichs Energie’s position paper on the EU’s multiannual financial framework (MFF) 2028 – 2034
Energy unites all sectors. Bolstering Europe’s energy production and its distribution are crucial for Europe's competitiveness to ensure a decentralised, reliable, and sustainable energy supply and to reduce dependency on fossil fuels. Moreover, a modernized energy grid fosters innovation, enabling the integration of advanced technologies like smart grids and electric vehicles. Additionally, robust energy systems attract investment and create jobs, stimulating economic growth. By prioritizing energy infrastructure, Europe can maintain its global leadership in sustainability and technology and drive down costs for European consumers and businesses.
With this in mind, the future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) must include targeted funding instruments for energy production and distribution. Key levers are investments in energy infrastructure – in particular in smart grids, large-scale battery storage and flexible system solutions. The increasing feed-in of volatile renewable energies requires a significantly higher degree of flexibility at all levels of the energy system – from generation to distribution and consumption. Therefore, technologies and concepts for flexibilisation – such as demand-side management, bidirectional charging, storage solutions or cross-sector coupling – must also be given greater structural and financial support. The higher system costs associated with a decentralised supply system and the complexity of grid control must be explicitly taken into account in the funding logic in order to permanently reconcile security of supply, grid stability and economic efficiency.