On 19 March 2026, the European Commission opened for feedback the call for evidence on the post-2030 legal framework for renewable energy. The aim of this consultation is to collect evidence, information, data and feedback on how renewable energy sources could be promoted in the period post-2030 with a view to determining what additional EU action is needed to achieve the 2040 objectives and beyond.

REScoop.eu believes that the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive should preserve and strengthen the existing framework for renewable energy communities (RECs). The EU does not need a new definition of RECs; it needs to fully implement the one it already has and ensure that the rights attached to it are effective in practice. In REScoop.eu’s view, energy communities are essential to deliver the EU’s post-2030 objectives because they combine decarbonisation with affordability, social inclusion, public acceptance and local energy security. A bottom-up, democratic energy transition with fairness and social cohesion at its core is possible when we put citizens in the driving seat.

What is missing is full implementation, stronger inclusion of energy-poor households, and a real financing architecture to support citizen-led projects. If the EU is serious about post-2030 affordability, resilience, public acceptance and democratic ownership of the energy transition, renewable energy communities must move to the centre of the directive.