Last Friday, during the 25th joint Franco-German Council of Ministers, President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivered a strong political endorsement of the Southwestern Hydrogen Corridor, which includes the H2med and HY-FEN projects, designed to link the Iberian Peninsula with the heart of Europe.

Both countries described the initiative as a “flagship project”, reaffirming their joint, long-term commitment to this key infrastructure for Europe’s decarbonisation. According to their new common economic agenda, the project will continue to be supported by the Franco-German Hydrogen Working Group, and cooperation will be broadened through the Alliance on the H2Med Southwestern Corridor, together with Spain, Portugal and the European Commission.

Beyond infrastructure, Franco-German backing forms part of a wider commitment to the development of the European hydrogen economy, encompassing greater investment in production, innovation, industry, and strategic value chains.

Flagship projects in energy cooperation

At the summit, Paris and Berlin also announced a series of flagship projects aimed at strengthening bilateral coordination and serving as a model for broader EU collaboration:

1. Cross-border electricity market integration. The two countries will support the development of a new electricity interconnector being assessed by transmission system operators Amprion, TransnetBW and RTE. Together with Poland, their TSOs will be mandated to conduct a joint study by 2026 on investment interdependencies, grid optimisation, and supply stability across Europe.

2. Realisation of the Southwestern Hydrogen Corridor. France and Germany reiterated their support for H2med and HY-FEN, committing to accompany the feasibility, development and planning phases of this strategic corridor for Europe’s energy security.

3. Joint position on the carbon footprint of batteries. With an eye on maintaining Europe’s competitiveness, both governments pledged to work on objective, non-discriminatory criteria for calculating the carbon footprint of battery production.

4. Hydrogen infrastructure cooperation. Paris and Berlin agreed to advance a pragmatic and cost-effective roll-out of hydrogen infrastructure in Europe, strengthening industrial and research synergies around electrolytic hydrogen.

Industry perspective: a corridor already taking shape

The political endorsement has also been welcomed by industry leaders involved in the project. Arturo Gonzalo Aizpiri, Chief Executive of Enagás, emphasised on social media: “REN, NaTran, Teréga and OGE continue to advance in developing the most mature hydrogen corridor in Europe, a cornerstone of a more integrated, autonomous, competitive and decarbonised EU energy system. A Europe that is drawing ever closer.”

This support from industry builds on a key milestone reached in July 2024, when the Spanish Government authorised Enagás to begin the permitting process for the H2Med network and its associated hydrogen projects, recognised as Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) by the EU. These include the Portugal–Spain hydrogen interconnector (CelZa), Spain’s domestic hydrogen infrastructure, the Spain–France interconnector (BarMar), and two hydrogen storage facilities in northern Spain (H2 storage North-1 and H2 storage North-2).

With this renewed momentum, France and Germany seek to bridge policy differences and lead the transition towards a competitive, secure, sustainable and decarbonised European energy market. Both nations underlined the need for a stable and predictable regulatory framework to guarantee investment and ensure technology neutrality in achieving the EU’s climate and energy goals.