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DRAFT 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

ITRE-PR-785274

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

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The rapporteur's draft report sets out Parliament's first-reading position on a Commission proposal to amend Directives (EU) 2018/2001, (EU) 2019/944 and (EU) 2024/1788 to speed up permit-granting for energy projects. It amends the proposal to add benefit-sharing duties for renewable projects above 3 MW, independent facilitators, and information access for local communities. It adds rules on grid connection offers, tacit approval, digital permitting portals, and exemptions from certain environmental assessments for grid and repowering projects. It requires Member States to address staffing and skills shortages in permitting authorities and to use Union funding instruments, and shortens the transposition deadline to one year.

Committee position. The rapporteur proposes to amend the Commission proposal to accelerate permitting while strengthening community engagement, benefit sharing, digitalisation and administrative capacity, and to shorten the transposition deadline to one year.

Key points

  1. Member States should facilitate access to financing for electricity grids, including the European Competitiveness Fund and blended finance, to support grid development and integration.
  2. Renewable projects above 3 MW must share benefits with local citizens and communities, aiming at 90 GW of community energy projects by 2030.
  3. Member States must ensure local communities have access to information on projects, rights and benefit sharing, and designate an independent facilitator for projects above 3 MW.
  4. Member States may keep existing national procedures instead of a facilitator if equally effective, and the Commission shall develop benefit-sharing guidelines.
  5. Member States shall set up a single digital portal for all permit-granting steps for renewable energy, storage, grid projects and recharging stations, with fully digital procedures by default.
  6. Repowering of wind installations is exempt from environmental screening and impact assessment if it does not use significant additional land or significantly increase height.
  7. Recharging stations up to 150 kW need no administrative permit except grid connection, and permit procedures for stations above 150 kW must not exceed six months.
  8. System operators must offer connection options, including flexible connections or alternative points, and may reject only as a last resort; tacit approval applies for existing connections.
  9. Member States may exempt refurbishment, modernisation or repowering of grid infrastructure from certain environmental assessments, and transmission projects may be exempted from water assessments.
  10. The energy efficiency first principle must be applied to grid planning, assessing non-wire solutions and grid enhancing technologies before expansion decisions.
  11. Member States shall identify staffing needs in permitting authorities and take measures including recruitment, upskilling and reskilling, with Commission evaluation and possible corrective measures.
  12. Member States shall use National and Regional Partnership Plans and the European Competitiveness Fund, and may introduce fees from developers to support administrative capacity.

Who is affected

  • Renewable energy project developers, who must share benefits and engage with communities for projects above 3 MW.
  • Local communities and citizens, who gain access to information, benefit-sharing and participation opportunities.
  • Transmission and distribution system operators, who must offer connection options and meet deadlines.
  • National, regional and local permitting authorities, which must be adequately staffed and digitalised.
  • Member States, which must transpose the directive within one year and use Union funding.

Figures and deadlines

  • EUR 1,2 trillion needed for electricity grid investments by 2040
  • 90 GW of community energy projects by 2030
  • 3 MW threshold for benefit-sharing and facilitator requirements
  • 26 GW of existing wind plants in operation for more than 20 years
  • 100 kW capacity threshold for small-scale storage
  • six months maximum deadline for storage above 100 kW and recharging stations above 150 kW
  • 150 kW capacity threshold for recharging stations
  • 20 to 40% additional capacity gains from grid-enhancing technologies

Legal basis: Article 294(2), Article 192(1) and Article 194(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union