17 Oct 2025, 11:00
|
EU

What’s next in Europe? – Agenda of European climate and energy policy

EU
Journalists! Mark your calendars – or rather let us do it for you. Europe is complicated and even journalists from EU member states sometimes struggle to understand how climate and energy policy is made, and when institutions take key decisions. This timeline flags key European energy and climate reporting events and developments and includes concise background information necessary to jump-start your coverage.

You can find additional information on European climate and energy events and developments in the European Parliament’s European Green Deal legislative train schedule, in the event calendar of the Danish Council presidency, and in the Council’s press site.

2025

 

Date 1 July
Event

Denmark takes over EU Council presidency

Subject

Denmark assumes the 6-months presidency of the EU Council. The presidency will prioritise security and competitiveness, the government said. The government emphasises that “the green transition is essential to building a more secure and competitive Europe.” Denmark's climate and energy minister Lars Aagaard said that grid infrastructure plans, a climate target for 2040, and details on the EU's move to end its dependence on Russian energy imports are key priorities for the Danish government during the presidency.

Find the website of the Danish Council presidency here.

The Council represents the executive governments of member states, and the presidency rotates among EU member states every six months. It is not only responsible for setting policy priorities and planning and chairing meetings among ministers and heads of government, but must also try and reach agreement on laws with the EU’s other legislative bodies – the Commission and the Parliament. Member states holding the presidency work together closely in groups of three, called 'trios'. Preceding presidency Poland and following presidency Cyprus cooperate with Denmark. [More on the presidency]

Press contact  media@eu2025.dk (Find all media contacts here)

 

 

Date 20 October
Event EU energy minister meeting
Subject

EU member state energy ministers come together for one of several regular annual meetings. EU energy ministers are expected to reach an agreement (‘general approach’) on a proposal to gradually phase out remaining gas and oil imports from Russia, with a full prohibition in place by 1 January 2028. The proposed regulation applies to both pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) and is a key deliverable of the REPowerEU ‘roadmap towards ending Russian energy imports’, issued by the European Commission in May 2025.

Press contact Carlo Zarcone (EU Council)

 

Date 21 October
Event EU environment minister meeting
Subject

EU member state environment ministers come together for one of several regular annual meetings. EU environment ministers are expected to adopt Council conclusions on the preparations for the 2025 United Nations climate change conference (COP30), which will take place in Belém, Brazil, from 10 to 21 November 2025. The conclusions will serve as the EU’s general negotiating position at the COP30.

Press contact Carlo Zarcone (EU Council)

 

Date 21 October
Event European Commission presents 2026 work programme
Subject The Commission will adopt its work programme for next year. 
Press contact Paula Pinho, European Commission

 

Date 23 October
Event European Council — meeting of EU heads of state and government
Subject

EU member state heads of state and government come together for one of several regular annual meetings. The EU's 2040 climate target is set to be discussed. 

Press contact Maria Tomasik (European Council)

 

Date 27– 28 October
Event EU agriculture minister meeting
Subject

EU member state agriculture ministers come together for one of several regular annual meetings.

Press contact Miruna Georgescu (EU Council)

 

Date 4 November
Event European Commission presents Sustainable Transport Investment Plan
Subject The Commission will come forward with a Sustainable Transport Investment Plan, a strategic framework for supporting sustainable transport fuels production and distribution. It will include measures to support the accelerated roll-out of recharging and refuelling infrastructure and dedicated green trade and investment partnerships with third countries on renewable and low-carbon transport fuels.
Press contact Anna Wartberger, European Commission

 

Date 4 November
Event European Commission presents European high-speed rail network plan
Subject The European Commission will present a plan to significantly boost high-speed rail travel in Europe, the bloc’s transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said, promising a “long-term vision for a more connected, efficient and competitive network across Europe," reported The Guardian.
Press contact Anna Wartberger, European Commission

 

Date 4 November
Event EU environment minister meeting (tbc)
Subject

The Danish EU Council presidency has reportedly announced an additional meeting of EU environment ministers to find an agreement on the EU's NDC, and the 2040 climate target, following on the meeting of EU leaders on 23 October.

Press contact Carlo Zarcone (EU Council)

 

Date 25 November
Event European Commission presents European Grids Package
Subject Given the critical role of grids for integrating affordable renewable energy and supporting electrification, a European Grids Package was announced as part of the Competitiveness Compass for the EU and the Clean Industrial Deal. The key objective of this initiative will be to help upgrade and expand grids to support rapid electrification and speed up permitting, as highlighted in the Mission Letter to Commissioner Jørgensen. The package is set to pe presented by the end of 2025.
Press contact Cristiana Marchitelli, European Commission

 

Date 25 November
Event European Commission presents Clean Energy Investment Strategy
Subject To support the development of a clean energy system, the Commission will present a Clean Energy Investment Strategy, including a de-risking initiative to unlock private capital. This
will be central to efforts to prioritise investment in clean energy infrastructure, including grids, storage and transport infrastructure, cross-border energy infrastructure, energy efficiency measures, the digitalisation of the energy system and the deployment of a hydrogen network, said president von der Leyen. It would help streamline the use of financial instruments such as grants, loans and blended finance to maximise impact, said Commissioner Jörgensen.
Press contact Cristiana Marchitelli, European Commission

 

Date 25 November
Event European Commission presents Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act
Subject

The Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator act will support energy-intensive industries and is dedicated to simplifying legislation to streamline permit granting, authorisations and reporting requirements and make investment easier in Europe.

[This factsheet answers key questions on the Clean Industrial Deal.]

Press contact Rüya Perincek, European Commission

 

Date 25 November
Event European Commission presents Battery Booster Strategy
Subject

As part of its Action Plan on the future of the automotive sector, and wider efforts of the Clean Industrial Deal, the Commission will present a Battery Booster Strategy to support EU-made batteries. The Commission said it will make available 1.8 billion euros in the next two years for supporting companies manufacturing batteries in the EU by mobilizing resources from
the Innovation Fund. The Commission will look into possibilities for financing ramping up of European production lines in this context, it said. 

[This factsheet answers key questions on the Clean Industrial Deal.]

Press contact Anni Juusola, European Commission

 

Date 4 December
Event EU transport minister meeting
Subject

EU member state transport ministers come together for one of several regular annual meetings.

Press contact Niels Timmermans (EU Council)

 

Date 11– 12 December
Event EU agriculture minister meeting
Subject

EU member state agriculture ministers come together for one of several regular annual meetings.

Press contact Miruna Georgescu (EU Council)

 

Date 15 December
Event EU energy minister meeting
Subject

EU member state energy ministers come together for one of several regular annual meetings.

Press contact Ferran Tarradellas Espuny (EU Council)

 

Date 16 December
Event EU environment minister meeting
Subject

EU member state environment ministers come together for one of several regular annual meetings.

Press contact Carlo Zarcone (EU Council)

 

Date 18–19 December
Event European Council — meeting of EU heads of state and government
Subject

EU member state heads of state and government come together for one of several regular annual meetings.

Press contact Maria Tomasik (European Council)

 

Date Q4
Event European Commission presents proposal to revise the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation
Subject

As part of efforts to streamline and simplify corporate sustainability rules, the Commission will also propose changes to the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation. This is interlinked with proposals for the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and the EU Taxonomy Regulation, presented earlier in the year.

Press contact Marta Perez-Cejuela Romero, European Commission

Support our work

If you enjoyed reading this article, please consider donating to CLEW. Our journalism is free to all, and you can help to keep it that way.

All texts created by the Clean Energy Wire are available under a “Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0)” . They can be copied, shared and made publicly accessible by users so long as they give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.

Ask CLEW

Researching a story? Drop CLEW a line or give us a call for background material and contacts.

Get support

+49 30 62858 497

Journalism for the energy transition

Get our Newsletter
Join our Network
Find an interviewee