The ‘Clean Energy for All Europeans’ Package presents an opportunity to provide citizens and communities with a supportive framework to participate across the energy system. By 2050, almost half of all EU households could be producing renewable energy, about 37% of which could come through involvement in an energy community.1 For the energy transition, his potential provides an opportunity to empower consumers, increase competition, address socio-economic needs, contribute to local investment and growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and build support for renewables and energy efficiency.

Karins’ Draft Report presents a vision for an energy market design where the role of citizens and local energy communities is significantly marginalized. Specifically, Karins proposes to roll back several positive elements of the Commission’s proposal that would help provide a level playing field for consumers and local energy communities (eg. groups and cooperatives of citizens for renewable energy that are represented by REScoop.eu). Furthermore, it ignores an important opportunity to clarify key provisions on local energy communities.