Ribera says there is no evidence that the blackout in Spain and Portugal was intentional.

Brussels is closely monitoring the power outage that left Spain and Portugal without electricity this Monday. One of the "largest" in Europe in recent years, the causes of the incident are still unknown. European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera stated that the EU executive is closely monitoring the situation, but clarified that there is no reason to believe it was intentional or involved in any type of boycott or cyberattack.

"Since we learned of this incident at 12:45 p.m., we have been in constant coordination with the various Commission services, particularly those that monitor security, cybersecurity, and the electrical system," Ribera stated. He added that "at the moment, there is nothing that leads us to believe that there has been any type of boycott or cyberattack."

"For now, there is nothing that leads us to believe it was intentional," the Spanish commissioner added, adding that everything is being handled "with the utmost caution" and that the investigation will continue to determine "the specific causes that led to this incident, which is one of the most serious recorded in Europe in some time."

"What is certain is that this is one of the most significant power outages that has occurred in recent years . We are in close contact with the Spanish and Portuguese authorities and are coordinating with them to ensure they can restore service as soon as possible," the EU vice president continued.

European electricity system operators are working to determine what happened and how to support system restoration on the Iberian Peninsula , the Spanish company added. The priority, she explained, is the gradual recovery of the system.

"Portugal disconnected its electricity system from the Spanish system to be able to gradually recover, and in Spain, recovery is also taking place based on hydroelectric and, in some cases, thermal generation, which will allow for rapid recovery," the EU Competition Commissioner stated.

"For now, I believe the most important message is one of patience, of following the instructions of those responsible for civil protection, and of maximum collaboration between all national authorities and the various services within the Commission," Ribera continued.

The Spanish woman specified that the blackout has primarily affected Spain and Portugal, although small areas in southern France are not ruled out, and she noted that, for the moment , the causes are unknown.

Both the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the EU Council, Antonio Costa, have contacted Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to express their support.

"I have reaffirmed the European Commission's support in monitoring the situation with national and European authorities and our Electricity Coordination Group," the German stated on social media. "We will coordinate efforts and share information to help restore the electricity system, and we have agreed to remain in close contact."

The European Commission, Ribera indicated, is monitoring the situation and working with the network of electricity system operators in the various countries to verify and evaluate factors worth paying attention to.

The European Commission has explained that "current European legislation (the Emergency and Restoration Network Code) provides established protocols for restoring system operation."