The Council adopts new rules in the field of renewable energy
Energy and renewable energy are sectors in which regulatory enactments are constantly and rapidly changing. During the past 15 years, the EU legal regulation in the field of the use of renewable energy sources (RES) (wind and solar energy, hydroelectric power, etc.) has been significantly expanded.
On 9 October 2023, the Council adopted the new Renewable Energy Directive as part of the Fit for 55 package amending Directive (EU) 2018/2001, Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 and Directive 98/70/EC and repealing Council Directive (EU) 2015/652. The Directive envisages raising the share of renewable energy in the EU’s overall energy consumption to 42.5% by 2030.
Faster permits for projects
The above Directive provides for accelerated permit procedures for renewable energy projects:
- Member States will design renewables acceleration areas where renewable energy projects will undergo simplified and fast permit-granting processes.
- Renewable energy deployment will also be presumed to be of ‘overriding public interest’, which will limit the grounds of legal objections to new installations.
Member States will have 18 months after the entry into force of the amending directive to transpose its provisions and requirements into national legislation.
