In this position paper, REScoop.eu presents recommendations for amending the EED so that it properly acknowledges
and support energy communities, in particular RECs, in energy efficiency.

In May 2019, the European Union (EU) institutions concluded the final legislative files for the Clean Energy for All Europeans Package (CEP),1 a legal framework that will help the EU meet its 2030 climate and energy objectives. With this legislative package, the EU has signalled a strong shift in the role of citizens from passive consumers to active participants in the energy transition. For the first time, EU legislation also acknowledges the role citizen and community ownership of clean and renewable energy resources (RES) can play in helping the EU meet its climate and energy objectives while driving local social innovation.

In December 2020, the Council decided to increase the EU’s climate ambition for 2030 to a reduction of at least 55% compared to 1990. In order for this more ambitious target to be achieved, the RED II and the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) will need to be revised. This represents an opportunity to realise synergies between the different Directives and further enhance the role of citizens as active consumers and members of energy communities in the energy transition.

In particular, the EED should be revised to recognise the role of energy communities in the achievement of the EU’s energy efficiency objectives. The EED should also provide a basis for the establishment of enabling national measures to help energy communities reach out to citizens and empower them to uptake energy efficiency measures.