Commission urges BULGARIA, SPAIN, FRANCE, ITALY, CYPRUS,  NETHERLANDS, SLOVAKIA and SWEDEN to transpose EU rules accelerating permitting procedures for renewable energy projects

Today, the European Commission decided to send reasoned opinions to Bulgaria (INFR(2024)0211), Spain (INFR(2024)0224), France (INFR(2024)0227), Italy (INFR(2024)0232), Cyprus (INFR(2024)0213),  the Netherlands (INFR(2024)0241), Slovakia (INFR(2024)0252) and Sweden (INFR(2024)0249) for not having transposed into national law EU rules accelerating permitting procedures for renewable energy projects set out in Directive (EU) 2023/2413.

This Directive amends the Renewable Energy Directive (Directive (EU) 2018/2001) providing new rules to simplify and shorten permitting procedures both for renewable energy projects and for the infrastructure projects which are necessary to integrate the additional capacity into the electricity system. It includes clear time limits for permit-granting procedures targeted to specific technologies or types of projects. In addition, it introduces the presumption that renewable energy projects, storage and the related grid infrastructure are of overriding public interest.

There is also an obligation for the Member States to design “renewable acceleration areas” where projects can benefit from shorter deadlines for permits given the low environmental impacts. The deadline to transpose these provisions into national law was 1 July 2024. In September 2024, the Commission sent letters of formal notice to 26 Member States for failing to fully transpose the Directive into national law.

After having examined the replies from the eight Member States, the Commission has decided to issue reasoned opinions to Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Slovakia and Sweden for failing to notify transposition measures and to Bulgaria, France and the Netherlands for failing to provide sufficiently clear and precise information on how their transposition measures transpose each of the Directive’s provisions. The eight Member States now have two months to respond and take the necessary measures. Otherwise, the Commission may decide to refer the cases to the Court of Justice of the European Union. 

Commission urges HUNGARY and POLAND to fully transpose EU rules on the internal electricity market
Today, the European Commission decided to send reasoned opinions to Hungary (INFR(2021)0052) and Poland (INFR(2022)2037) for not having fully transposed EU rules for the internal electricity market set out in the Directive (EU) 2019/944, amending Directive 2012/27/EU. The Directive lays down key rules regarding the organisation and functioning of the EU electricity sector to create integrated, competitive, consumer-centred electricity markets across the EU. The deadline to transpose the Directive into national law was 31 December 2020.

The Commission sent a letter of formal notice to Hungary in February 2021 and to Poland in May 2022, after concluding that not all the provisions of the Directive had been transposed into their national legislation. After having examined their replies as well as the national transposition measures notified, the Commission considers that these Member States have still not fully transposed the Directive. The two Member States concerned now have two months to respond and take the necessary measures. Otherwise, the Commission may decide to refer the cases to the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Commission urges BELGIUM, ESTONIA, LATVIA and ROMANIA again to fully transpose the 2018 Renewable Energy Directive

 Today, the European Commission decided to send additional reasoned opinions to Belgium (INFR(2021)0145), Estonia (INFR(2021)0200), Latvia (INFR(2021)0293) and Romania (INFR(2021)0333) for not having fully transposed EU rules on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources set out in Directive (EU) 2018/2001. This Directive provides the legal framework for the development of renewable energy in electricity, heating and cooling and transport in the EU. It sets an EU-level binding target for 2030 for renewable energy and includes specific rules for guarantees of origin (GOs).

GOs are electronic certificates to inform the final customers on the share of energy from renewable sources in a supplier’s energy mix. The Directive further includes sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions savings criteria for biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels and rules on the verification of compliance of those fuels with these criteria. It also facilitates the participation of citizens in the energy transition by enabling self-consumption and the setup of renewable energy communities.

The deadline to transpose the Directive into national law was 30 June 2021. In July 2021, the Commission sent letters of formal notice to these four Member States for failing to fully transpose the Directive. The Commission then followed up with reasoned opinions due to their continuous failure to fully transpose the Directive. After having examined their replies and the subsequently notified measures, the Commission has decided to issue additional reasoned opinions to Belgium, Estonia, Latvia and Romania due to incomplete transposition. The four Member States now have two months to respond and take the necessary measures. Otherwise, the Commission may decide to refer the cases to the Court of Justice of the European Union.