Next week, the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg will discuss the historic blackout that affected the Iberian Peninsula and part of southern France on April 28. The inclusion of this topic on the agenda has been pushed by Vox, a member of the Patriots for Europe group, in a move that once again highlights the continued silence of both the Socialists and the Popular Party, in Spain and in Brussels, despite the seriousness of the outage.
The debate, scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, is titled “Resilience and the Need to Improve the Interconnection of Energy Grid Infrastructures in the EU: First Lessons from the Blackout in the Iberian Peninsula.” The Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament approved the initiative on April 30, with Vox being the only party to demand answers and accountability for an event that left more than 60 million people without electricity.
The blackout, described by Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen as the worst in Europe for 20 years, caused transport chaos, industrial shutdowns, and enormous economic losses. In Spain, the impact was estimated at around 400 million euros in electronic transactions, with a possible total cost that could rise to 800 million euros, according to the Ministry of Economy. In Portugal, meat industry companies reported millions in losses due to the interruption of the cold chain and damage to equipment.
Ribera and the chain of responsibility
While the European Parliament chamber prepares for this unprecedented debate, the latest information points directly at former Spanish Minister for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, now Vice President of the European Commission. In 2022, Ribera chose Concepción Sánchez to lead operations at Redeia, the company responsible for ensuring the stability of Spain’s electrical system. This part of the company has been specifically identified as the main cause of the failure that triggered the blackout, according to various technical sources.
Sara Aagesen, Ribera’s successor at the Spanish ministry since November 2024, also comes under scrutiny, given that the power grid operator maintains a close relationship with the ministry’s political leadership. Added to this is the lack of public explanations from Beatriz Corredor, president of Redeia, and from Concepción Sánchez herself, who was reportedly on vacation during the blackout.
The situation has reignited criticism of how politicians manage important infrastructure and has exposed a lack of transparency and slow response to a crisis of such magnitude. Vox has denounced this chain of opacity as an example of the “political shielding” enjoyed by high-ranking Socialist officials both in Madrid and Brussels, while demanding accountability at all levels.
Next week’s debate is therefore a crucial opportunity to shed light on what happened and for the Commission and Council to explain the measures planned to strengthen the resilience of Europe’s power grid, which appears extraordinarily fragile in the face of unforeseen events related to renewable energy.
