In the face of the 21st century’s global energy challenges, the EU is leading the clean energy transition: striving for a more secure, competitive and sustainable energy system which will address the existential challenge of our time - climate change. By setting ambitious energy and climate targets for 2030, the EU is giving a clear sense of direction; in addition to these targets, it provides a stable legal framework to foster the necessary investment. But this is not the end of the road: with its 2050 long-term climate neutrality strategy, the EU is also looking further ahead than 2030, and setting the foundations for what a cleaner planet will look like by the middle of the century and beyond.