European Commission urges IRELAND, LATVIA and PORTUGAL to fully transpose EU rules accelerating permitting procedures for renewable energy projects

The revised Renewable Energy Directive is related to the simplification and acceleration of permitting procedures. The amending Directive (Directive (EU) 2023/2413, amending Directive (EU) 2018/2001) entered into force in November 2023 and certain provisions had to be transposed into national law by 1 July 2024. These provisions aim to simplify and accelerate permitting procedures both for renewable energy projects and for the infrastructure projects which are necessary to integrate the additional capacity into the electricity system. They include clear time limits for permit-granting procedures targeted to specific technologies or types of projects, the strengthening of the role of the single contact point for applications and the presumption that renewable energy projects and the related grid infrastructure are of overriding public interest. In September 2024, the Commission sent letters of formal notice to 26 Member States for failing to fully transpose the Directive into national law. After having examined the transposition measures notified by Ireland, Latvia and Portugal, the Commission has concluded that the three Member States have not yet fully transposed the provisions related to the simplification and acceleration of permitting procedures. The Commission is therefore sending reasoned opinions to these three Member States, which now have two months to respond and take the necessary measures to complete the transposition. Otherwise, the Commission may decide to refer the cases to the Court of Justice of the European Union with a request to impose financial sanctions.