Skip to content
REPORT (COM(2025)1007 – C100341/2025 – 2025/0400(COD))

On the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directives (EU) 2018/2001, (EU) 2019/944, (EU) 2024/1788 as regards acceleration of permit-granting procedures

A-10-2026-0195

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy · Rapporteur: Niels Fuglsang

Official HTML ↗ PDF DOCX
✦ In shortFull textProcedure & committee votes
✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 25 Sept 2026

Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

Parliament's amended version of the Commission proposal for a directive amending Directives (EU) 2018/2001, (EU) 2019/944 and (EU) 2024/1788 on speeding up permit-granting procedures. It sets deadlines for permits for renewable energy, storage, recharging stations and electricity grids, and exempts small installations and repowering from environmental impact assessments. It requires Member States to set up a single digital portal for permit applications, to apply tacit approval to most decisions, and to share the benefits of renewable energy projects above 10 MW with local communities. It also sets rules for grid connection procedures, network development planning, and the presumption that renewable energy and grid projects are of overriding public interest.

Committee position. The committee proposes to adopt Parliament's position at first reading with amendments to the Commission proposal, accelerating permit-granting procedures while maintaining environmental protection, introducing benefit-sharing, digitalisation and stricter deadlines.

Key points

  1. Member States may restrict renewable energy installation areas only if they have mapped and designated sufficient land for renewables acceleration, and must review existing restricted areas.
  2. Renewable energy projects above 10 MW must pass on a proportionate share of benefits to local citizens and communities; projects developed by citizens and energy communities are exempt.
  3. Member States must ensure local communities get clear information on permitting and benefit sharing, and must designate and finance an independent facilitator for projects above 7 MW if no agreement is reached.
  4. Member States must set up a single national digital portal for all permit-granting steps for renewable energy, storage, grid projects and recharging stations, with fully digital procedures and machine-readable data.
  5. Permit-granting procedures must not exceed 6 months for repowering, small installations under 300 kW and co-located storage, and 1 year for offshore renewable energy projects, with possible extensions.
  6. Lack of reply within deadlines results in approval of steps, except environmental decisions and grid connection permits, where national law allows tacit approval; all decisions must be published.
  7. Repowering of solar and wind installations is exempt from screening and environmental impact assessment if it does not use significant additional land and complies with mitigation measures; Member States may also exempt it from Natura 2000 and species protection assessments.
  8. No administrative permits, except grid connection, are required for solar equipment and co-located storage up to 200 kW, stand-alone storage up to 200 kW, and recharging stations or pools up to 200 kW; these are exempt from environmental impact assessment.
  9. Permit-granting procedures must not exceed 6 months for stand-alone storage above 200 kW and recharging stations above 200 kW, and 2 years for pumped hydropower storage.
  10. Grid connection procedures must not exceed 3 months for small-scale solar, storage and recharging installations, and 6 to 12 months for other installations depending on location and technology.
  11. Member States must establish criteria for prioritising grid connection requests within 6 months, taking into account the Commission's guidance on efficient and timely grid connections.
  12. Authorisation procedures must not exceed 1 year for distribution system infrastructure and 2 years for transmission system infrastructure, with possible extensions; tacit approval applies except for environmental decisions.

Who is affected

  • Member States, which must transpose the directive and set up digital portals, deadlines and benefit-sharing rules.
  • Project developers of renewable energy, storage, recharging stations and electricity grids, who benefit from faster procedures and face benefit-sharing obligations.
  • Local communities and citizens, who must be informed and share in the benefits of renewable energy projects.
  • Transmission and distribution system operators, which must meet grid connection deadlines and publish capacity information.
  • National regulatory authorities, which must approve network development plans and ensure authorisation deadlines are met.

Figures and deadlines

  • EUR 1,2 trillion needed for investments in electricity grids by 2040.
  • Renewable energy projects above 10 MW must share benefits with local communities.
  • Independent facilitator for renewable energy projects above 7 MW.
  • Permit-granting procedure for repowering, installations under 300 kW and co-located storage must not exceed 6 months; offshore projects 1 year.
  • No administrative permits for solar equipment and co-located storage up to 200 kW.
  • Permit-granting procedure for stand-alone storage above 200 kW must not exceed 6 months; pumped hydropower storage 2 years.
  • Grid connection procedures must not exceed 3 months for small-scale installations, 6 months for installations in acceleration areas, 9 months for offshore projects in acceleration areas, 9 months for installations outside acceleration areas, and 1 year for offshore wind outside acceleration areas.
  • Authorisation procedures must not exceed 1 year for distribution system infrastructure and 2 years for transmission system infrastructure.

Legal basis: Article 192(1) and Article 194(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.