Brussels, 23 May 2019 – Yesterday, the European Council voted to approve several pieces of legislation, including a Recast Electricity Directive and Electricity Regulation that aim to reorient Europe’s electricity market towards a clean energy transition. This marks the official end of legislative process of the Clean Energy for All Europeans package.

The legislative package includes brand new rules that establish citizen and community participation in renewables, and the energy transition as a whole, as a governing principle of Europe’s internal energy market.

While the legislation is not perfect, it provides a basis for supporting citizens and communities to participate across the energy market. Now citizens and communities will be able to use the EU legislation to advocate for proper national acknowledgment of citizens and renewable energy communities, as well as policies and measures to remove existing barriers and ensure an equal playing field.

Dirk Vansintjan, President of REScoop.eu said:
“With the Council’s final vote, the EU now officially acknowledges citizens and community market actors – that is, citizen energy communities and renewable energy communities – in Europe’s energy transition.”

He continues: “With new definitions, a set of rights, and requirements for Member States to develop enabling frameworks and proportionate regulations for energy communities, the role of citizens in Europe’s energy transition is now secured at EU level.”

Now that the final pieces of legislation have been approved, they will be published in the Official EU Journal, and the Member States will need to begin the process of writing the new rules in national law. Some Member States have already begun the process, raising a number of issues regarding how energy communities are acknowledged at the national level, and the rules that regulate their activities.

If you want more information regarding our views of the new electricity market design, you can visit our blog.

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About REScoop.eu

REScoop is the European federation for citizens energy cooperatives. We are a growing network of 1,500 European REScoops and their 1,000,000 citizens who are active in the energy transition. Our members produce and supply renewable energy, operate distribution networks, perform energy efficiency, perform aggregation, engage in energy sharing, and provide electric car-sharing.

For more information

Josh Roberts, Advocacy Officer | T: +32 493 400 933 | Email: josh.roberts@rescoop.eu
Sara Tachelet, Communications Officer | T: +32 4 93 400 935 | Email: sara.tachelet@rescoop.eu