Ahead of the European Parliament plenary vote on 26 March 2026 on an objection to the delegated act setting out the second list of Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) and Projects of Mutual Interest (PMIs), 70 civil society organisations have called on parliamentarians to reject the list in its current form. In an open letter, the groups are calling on the Commission to present a revised list of projects focused exclusively on electricity grids that support rapid electrification in line with the EU’s climate and energy objectives.
The letter’s signatories warn that the proposed list – which prioritises energy infrastructure under the EU’s Trans-European Network – Energy (TEN-E) Regulation – would allow fast-track permitting and access to EU public funding for more than 100 hydrogen infrastructure projects, most of them pipelines, and two controversial fossil gas pipelines (Melita and EastMed), altogether costing more than EUR 80 billion.
The organisations question the necessity and feasibility of the large-scale hydrogen infrastructure proposed. These projects risk locking the EU into continued dependence on fossil gas-based hydrogen while diverting funding away from the electrification of Europe’s energy system. The organisations particularly emphasise the environmental and social impacts of major hydrogen corridors such as H2Med and SouthH2.
The letter further reiterates concerns raised by the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) and European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change (ESABCC) about the credibility and transparency of the project selection process. The excessive power granted to the gas lobby ENTSOG in project selection, while its members profit from PCI status, creates a serious conflict of interest.
The signatories also warn against the EU relying on imports of renewable hydrogen from the Global South to meet its unrealistic targets – a strategy which ignores major economic, logistical, and social constraints. The letter stresses that large-scale hydrogen export projects risk exacerbating water scarcity, diverting renewable energy from local needs, and creating new forms of resource dependency rather than supporting a just global energy transition.
As current international events demonstrate, such as the oil and gas price shocks, the EU cannot hope to strengthen its energy sovereignty by importing large quantities of energy, whether hydrogen or fossil fuels. The EU must step up its efforts towards electrification, rather than investing in projects that are doomed to become stranded assets.
For press inquiries, please contact
Elena Gerebizza, Energy and infrastructure campaigner, ReCommon
+39 340 6705319
Eliot Garnier-Karcenti, Senior Energy Advisor, Food & Water Action Europe
+33 6 34 31 56 20
Gligor Radečić, Gas Campaign Leader, CEE Bankwatch Network
+385 97 7 45 44 67
Pascoe Sabido, Corporate Europe Observatory Researcher and Campaigner
+44 7969 665 189
