Not “another energy crisis”, but THE energy crisis?

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has just released its ‘State of Energy Policy 2026’ offering a timely 50-year perspective on energy security policies. One message stands out clearly: our growing interdependencies are making this crisis potentially more severe than the three previous shocks combined — 1973, 1979, and 2022. Yet it’s unclear whether we fully grasp the scale of what is coming. So far, the impact has only begun to surface.

We have also learned that since 2019, public spending on energy policies has more than doubled.

In response, European Commissioners convened an exceptional seminar this week to discuss what is increasingly seen as an unprecedented crisis. Teams working on the upcoming “energy security” package, expected at the end of May, are now focused on crisis-response measures consisting of a shared “toolbox” for Member States. One of the proposed measures is a temporary tax on excess profits made by energy companies. Notably, it is being championed by an unusual coalition of countries – Spain, Germany, Italy, Austria, and Portugal – which rarely align on economic matters.

In each country, governments are struggling to contain rising public discontent through emergency measures. Ireland has already experienced refinery blockades by protesters. The agricultural sector is now gearing up for coordinated protests across several countries. So far, Spain is the only nation to have taken decisive steps, introducing a €5 billion emergency plan. A fragmented response is no longer viable. What’s needed now is a shared vision for the European energy system – and for society as a whole – along with clear steps for individual implementation.

Too often, citizens and small businesses are sidelined in debates deemed too complex for them. Meanwhile, distribution operators remain wary of user participation, fearing system instability. The European institutions that once enabled the rollout of decentralised renewable energy and energy communities now seem to see their role only in infrastructure interconnections and technological pipe dreams (frankly, what is the point of a hydrogen bank when we should be investing massively in solar power across the entire territory to meet local needs?). We need to reopen the conversation, rebuild trust and stop hiding behind our nuclear facilities.

The solutions already exist. Rapid and widescale deployment must become the priority. This is not just a task for Member States. The European Union must also provide a clear, enabling framework. Persistent barriers still need to be addressed. In a recent study, we examine how local stakeholders can play a much broader role in the energy system – beyond simple production and distribution. To build a more resilient, economically relevant, and agile system – one that can also be deployed more quickly – we propose concrete public policy measures. By better coordinating flexibility and storage services at the local level, these measures would significantly strengthen the system as a whole.

It is critically urgent – and this is an understatement – to have honest conversations about the challenges ahead, what is coming and what each individual and every municipality can do both now and in the medium term. Only coordinated action and a collective response to this “master crisis” can safeguard our rights!