Brussels, 10 March 2026 - Today, the European Commission published the Citizens Energy Package, a set of measures that aim to ensure a fair and inclusive energy transition. REScoop.eu, the European federation of energy communities, welcomes this much-needed step, as citizen-owned local renewables are the path to regain ownership of our energy supply, enhance energy security, fight climate change, keep revenue within local communities, and strengthen the connection between citizens. 

Ilonka Marselis, Vice-President of REScoop.eu, said “In the context of geopolitical tensions and rising fossil fuel prices, bringing renewable energy and renovations under citizen ownership is our best bet to protect Europe’s independence, democracies, and local economies. The Citizens Energy Package has this potential, and an ambitious goal to multiply by ten the community power installed capacity by 2030. However, without enforcement mechanisms, it will be difficult to achieve its objectives. I miss actual quantitative targets for community ownership in all Member States and an EU commitment on funding for energy communities.” 

REScoop.eu welcomes the Citizens Energy Package’s aim to increase installed community energy tenfold (to 90 GW) by 2030, protect energy poor households, and support energy efficiency measures. We however caution on the ‘voluntary’ nature of these measures, and strongly advise to dedicate sufficient public resources to achieve these objectives, and for Member States to implement existing EU-level provisions on energy communities. 

We also welcome the upcoming Action Plan for Energy Communities, and the planned guidance document on unleashing the potential of energy communities. This should cover Member States' requirement to implement proper enabling frameworks for energy communities, but should be distinct from the guidance on energy sharing. These measures must nonetheless be accompanied by oversight mechanisms to prevent corporate capture, and ensure that the EU’s citizen-led energy transition is not taken over by corporations masquerading as energy communities.

REScoop.eu is also concerned by the risk of empty promises if the Citizens Energy Package is not backed with strong enforcement safeguards which could be provided, for example, via the European Semester, the National and Regional Partnership Plans, and the Governance Regulation.

Without binding enforcement mechanisms, the ambitious goals of the Citizens Energy Package will most likely be missed. As a recent European Court of Auditors’ report highlights, the European Commission set an objective in the EU Solar Energy Strategy to establish at least one renewables-based energy community in every municipality with a population over 10,000 by 2025. Due to the lack of oversight and non-binding nature of the target, Member States had reached only 27 % of its objective by January 2025. The European Court of Auditors’ report also highlights that transposition of the EU legal provisions on energy communities was incomplete in many of the member states they audited, and indeed proper implementation of these provisions should be a priority throughout the EU. 

Considering that the 2025 State of the Energy Union places annual energy system investment needs at €660 billion over the period 2026-2030, it is also disappointing that the Citizens Energy Package has not announced new and additional sources of finance. 

REScoop.eu also regrets that the Citizens Energy Package does not address all of the different activities of energy communities, nor does it highlight the need for national federations of energy communities. Indeed, it ignores specific support measures for citizen-led renovations, community-led heating and cooling, and collective electric carsharing, which necessitate particular support given their increased complexity. 

About REScoop.eu

REScoop.eu is the European federation of energy communities, a growing network of 2,500 energy communities and their 2 million citizens who are active in the energy transition. Its goal is to support energy communities to achieve a fairer, more democratic, and sustainable energy system in Europe.

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REScoop.eu’s detailed analysis of the Citizens Energy Package can be found here.

For more information: Jonathan Bonadio, Head of Policy | T: +32 490 46 33 10 | Email: jonathan.bonadio@rescoop.eu 

For media inquiries: Óscar Güell, Head of Communications | T: +32 488 478 586 | Email: oscar.guell@rescoop.eu