While the composition of the new European Commission is still underway, lawmakers and industry leaders already presented recommendations on how to put the EU’s offshore wind power targets back on track to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness.

Rising costs and inadequate policies are reportedly hindering Brussels’ otherwise very ambitious 2030 targets, which the EU is „at the moment still struggling to achieve”. The price of the building of wind parks at sea for example had significantly increased over the past years while their profitability remained marginal. In addition, supply chains came under pressure and the global competition in the energy industry also increased.

The North Sea as a potential green energy hub for Europe

Therefore, the so-called Odense recommendations (named after the port of Odense in Denmark where an expert meeting on the matter was held in October 2024) among others discuss the potential of transforming the North Sea into a green energy hub. Such a hub would serve as an aid to the EU in achieving climate neutrality and increasing energy security.

Cross-border European supply chains

The document among others recommends the European Commission to make permitting procedures for renewable energy projects more effective and to increase the access to EU funding for energy projects. With regards to specifically the North Sea, it urges the European Commission to support the development of renewable hydrogen in the area by improving infrastructure integration and plans and enhancing the cooperation between the North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC) and the United Kingdom.

Synergies between offshore wind and renewables

In 2024, the main focus is on the new support group established among other important things as part of the 5-year Work Program focusing on how to support market ramp-up to effectively be able to exploit the synergies between offshore wind and renewable hydrogen production.

To keep up with the demands for green energy in Europe, the deployment and improvement of energy infrastructure are much needed and the North Sea could prove a crucial location for that.

Denmark is co-president of the North Seas Energy Cooperation in 2024. In 2025, Belgium will take over.