European Union regulation should allow municipalities to untap local potential to enable Europe’s energy transition. The ongoing review of the Public Procurement Directives should be utilised as an opportunity to simplify the existing rules and allow fairer access to local businesses and communities. 

REScoop.eu, together with Energy Cities, the European network of local authorities in the energy transition, has submitted a joint response to the European Commission's call for evidence on the evaluation of the Public Procurement Directives. 

In our response, we conclude that despite the number of positive examples of local authorities promoting a just and fair energy transition through the use of public procurement and concessions procedures, the EU legal framework acts as a barrier rather than an enabler to local ownership and collaboration. Under the context of the Clean Industrial Deal and the growing need for energy and economic security, the EU public procurement framework needs to be revised to align with the EU’s climate and energy objectives, and to allow local authorities to engage their citizens in the economic life of the community, using the energy transition as an opportunity to strengthen resilience.