European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for a significant increase in home-grown wind power to improve energy security, lower electricity bills and strengthen industrial competitiveness across the European Union.
In her 2025 State of the Union address to the European Parliament, von der Leyen described the push for domestic clean energy as “Europe’s independence moment” and reiterated the EU’s commitment to phasing out Russian fossil fuels entirely.
“This transformation is central to our push for independence,” she said, while stressing the need to implement the EU’s Clean Industrial Deal and scale up clean tech manufacturing.
The Commission also announced a new European Energy Highways initiative, aimed at addressing eight critical cross-border electricity grid bottlenecks. The plan will involve close coordination between policymakers and industry to accelerate infrastructure development.
“We know what brings electricity prices down – domestically produced clean tech,” von der Leyen said, noting that a faster rollout of renewables is essential for ensuring Europe’s long-term economic competitiveness.
To support clean tech manufacturing, von der Leyen unveiled two key measures: a “Made in Europe” criterion in public procurement processes and an upcoming Industrial Accelerator Act focused on key clean energy technologies.
The wind industry welcomed the proposals. “The EU Commission is clear: we need more home-grown wind energy,” said WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson. “It boosts energy security. It means lower energy bills for consumers. It strengthens our industrial competitiveness. Europe’s wind industry and its 400,000 workers are ready to step up to the task.”
Dickson also called on national governments to take faster action to support the industry. “It’s time to seriously ramp up wind energy in the EU – we only built 5GW in the first half of this year. Governments have got to pull their finger out – apply the EU permitting rules, build out the grids more quickly, push electrification. And make sure there’s a business case for clean energy,” he said.
WindEurope is urging policymakers to fully implement the Renewable Energy Directive (REDIII), expand and modernise grid infrastructure, remove regulatory barriers to electrification, and ensure stable auction frameworks, including two-sided Contracts for Difference (CfDs).
The annual State of the Union address sets out the Commission’s legislative and policy priorities for the year ahead.
