Source: European Union 2 Published on: 2026-06-18
On 18 June, policymakers, regulators, network operators, project promoters, technology providers and researchers gathered in Košice, Slovakia, for the Smart Grid PCI Summit. Organised by Východoslovenská distribučná and Západoslovenská distribučná in cooperation with European partners, the summit has become one of Europe’s leading events dedicated to the development and deployment of smart electricity networks.
Themed ‘Resilient, Flexible, Connected’, the event provided a valuable platform to discuss practical solutions to some of the common challenges facing smart grid deployment and the modernisation of electricity networks.
Cooperation as a key enabler of successful projects
A recurring theme throughout the summit was the importance of cooperation.
Speakers highlighted that the successful delivery of smart grid projects depends on close collaboration between network operators, regulators, policymakers, technology providers and local communities. Given the complexity of these projects – often involving thousands of interconnected devices, advanced digital technologies, cybersecurity requirements and multiple stakeholders – effective coordination is essential throughout the project lifecycle.
Several CEF Energy-supported smart grid projects presented their experiences, and participants stressed the great value of this knowledge sharing between projects and countries to exchange lessons learned and implementation experiences, helping other project promoters accelerate deployment, avoid common pitfalls and contribute to a more efficient rollout of smart grid solutions across Europe.
New publication connecting innovation and deployment
In this context, one of the highlights of the summit was the launch of CINEA’s new publication on Smart Grids. The publication aims to support the smart grids community by showcasing innovative technologies and successful projects funded by the EU, illustrating how research, innovation and infrastructure investments work together to modernise Europe’s electricity system.
By combining cutting-edge technologies supported under Horizon Europe with onsite infrastructure projects funded through CEF Energy, the publication serves as a knowledge-sharing tool, helping stakeholders learn from practical implementation experiences and better understand how innovative solutions can be deployed on the ground and what benefits they can deliver. It also demonstrates how EU funding supports smart grids across the entire innovation chain, from research and development to large-scale implementation.
Smart grids: enabling Europe’s energy transition
One of the key messages emerging from the summit was that Europe’s electrification ambitions can only succeed if electricity networks evolve at the same pace.
The rapid growth of renewable energy, electric vehicles, heat pumps and prosumers is placing unprecedented demands on electricity networks. At the same time, system operators are facing increasing pressure to connect new consumers and generators while maintaining security of supply and keeping costs under control.
Participants discussed how smart technologies, advanced software and digital tools can help overcome those challenges by making more efficient use of existing infrastructure, increase available network capacity and reduce the need for costly new construction projects.
As discussions in Košice demonstrated, accelerating Europe’s electrification requires not only innovative technologies, but also strong cooperation between all actors involved. The future of Europe’s energy system will depend on the ability to accelerate the planning and implementation of smart grid investments, make more efficient use of existing infrastructure and further strengthen cooperation among Member States, regulators, system operators and technology partners. Cooperation, innovation and investment must go hand in hand to deliver the smart, resilient and interconnected electricity networks needed for Europe’s energy transition.