IRU brought the voice of commercial road transport operators to POLITICO’s Energy & Climate Forum in Brussels, joining European Commissioners, national policymakers, members of the European Parliament, industry leaders and energy experts in discussions on Europe’s energy, climate and competitiveness agenda.
IRU EU Advocacy Director Raluca Marian spoke on the POLITICO panel “Is Europe’s electrification push stuck in the wires?”, a timely discussion as the EU navigates a complex mix of geopolitical tensions, energy security concerns, industrial competitiveness pressures and decarbonisation objectives.
These themes were reflected throughout the programme. Discussions on energy security examined the resilience of the EU’s energy infrastructure in an increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment, including cyber threats and the protection of critical networks. NATO representatives highlighted the growing importance of securing energy systems as Europe becomes increasingly dependent on electrified infrastructure.
Energy policy, affordability and competitiveness also featured prominently throughout the day. Krzysztof Bolesta, Secretary of State at Poland’s Ministry of Climate and Environment, addressed the challenge of maintaining industrial competitiveness while delivering the energy transition, a concern echoed by many participants.
Another recurring theme was simplification. Discussions focused largely on the European Commission’s Energy Omnibus package and the need to accelerate permitting, investment and project delivery. The broader objective strongly resonates with commercial road transport, where operators equally depend on streamlined procedures and faster implementation to support investment and the transition.
The discussion on circular economy, featuring Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, and members of the European Parliament, focused on resource efficiency, reducing strategic dependencies and strengthening Europe’s industrial resilience. It also highlighted a broader question that resurfaced throughout the forum: how to translate ambitious policy goals into practical implementation.
That same question was central to the electrification and grids debate. Raluca Marian welcomed ongoing EU initiatives aimed at tackling grid bottlenecks, including the forthcoming Grids Package, but stressed that successful electrification ultimately depends on whether operators can access electricity in practice.
“At a time when the EU is discussing targets in several areas, some more practical than others, Europe also needs grid upgrade targets,” said Raluca Marian. “How can alternative fuels infrastructure deployment targets succeed without matching ambitions for the electricity networks that will ultimately power those vehicles?”
Raluca Marian highlighted four conditions that are essential for operators to successfully electrify their fleets: obtaining permits for depot charging infrastructure, securing actual grid connections, relying on stable electricity networks, and benefiting from predictable electricity prices.
The discussion highlighted practical challenges already emerging across Europe. Eugène Baijings of TenneT shared the Dutch experience, where grid congestion has become a tangible constraint despite significant progress in electrification and innovative approaches to smart grid management.
Closing the forum, European Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth Wopke Hoekstra addressed the future of EU climate policy and the upcoming review of the EU Emissions Trading System. For IRU, one particularly encouraging message was Commissioner Hoekstra’s acknowledgement that a significant share of revenues generated through climate and transport-related charging mechanisms should return to those who generate them. This is a principle IRU has consistently advocated in discussions on transport taxation and charging schemes.
The forum demonstrated that the EU’s energy, climate and competitiveness debate is increasingly focused on both ambition and implementation. For operators, electrification will ultimately depend on whether the necessary infrastructure, grid capacity and investment conditions are in place to support it.
