REPowerEU: "Affordable, Secure and Sustainable Energy for Europe"

On March 18, 2022, the European Commission published a strategy to cease the EU's reliance on Russian fossil resources. This strategy, known as REPower EU, is the EU's response to the disruptions in the global energy market. Such interruptions are due to the war in Ukraine. Therefore, we can argue that the REPower EU is among the sanctions that the EU is placing on Russia. Russia has been using its fossil fuels as a political and economic weapon. However, here it is also worth mentioning how Europe was mainly importing fossil fuels from Russia by making international agreements. Although European Green Deal had been initiated as a plan to make the continent more climate-friendly even before the initiation of the war in Ukraine, it is known that the EU was still relying on Russia for the bulk of fossil fuel export.

REPower EU, on the other hand, is a new strategy for the EU and its future in energy and climate change. The plan's purpose is to maximize energy savings, diversify energy sources, and accelerate the implementation of renewable energy. Furthermore, it will undoubtedly aid in improving the situation in the Russo-Ukrainian war and preventing Russia from gaining dominance in the conflict. Furthermore, it is stated that the green transition will boost Europe's and its partners' economic expansion, stability, and combating climate change.

The REPowerEU Plan is built on the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), which supports integrated planning and funding of cross-border and national infrastructure. In addition to the huge number of specific improvements and expenditures, European Commission also plans to make relevant adjustments to the RRF to incorporate specialized REPowerEU chapters in Member States' existing recovery and resilience plans (RRPs). This procedure will be governed by the country-specific suggestions in the 2022 European Semester cycle.

The REPower EU Plan will require an expenditure of €210 billion from 2022 to 2027. To complement the Plan, the Recovery and Resilience Facility has already made €225 billion in loans available. The Commission asks governments to raise the obligatory energy efficiency objective from 9% to 13% under the "Target 55" package of European Green Pact legislation. It also suggests fiscal incentives for using energy-efficient heatings, building insulation, equipment, and items.