In a silver lining to an otherwise unabashed corporate giveaway, the Clean Industrial Deal also signals support for energy communities
Brussels, 26 February 2025 - Today, the European Commission officially launched its Clean Industrial Deal (CID). The CID will define the Commission’s mission for the next five years and aims to drive competitiveness while also breaking its reliance on imported fossil fuels. While one can question whether the CID orients the EU in the right direction, it stays committed to the EU’s energy transition and signals considerable support to energy communities through the forthcoming Citizens Energy Package.
The Commission’s Action Plan on Affordable Energy, which makes up part of the CID, presents a set of welcomed actions that aim to decrease energy prices for citizens, business and communities across the EU. In particular, REScoop.eu welcomes the Action Plan’s commitment for a Citizen Energy Package to be published later this year to enhance the ability of local communities, citizens, municipalities, and companies to join forces through an energy community, and through other citizen-initiatives such as energy sharing. The Citizen Energy Package will be particularly important, as most Member States have yet to implement enabling frameworks for energy communities required by existing EU legislation. Furthermore, the Action Plan proposes other actions that should also benefit energy communities, for instance on network charges, power purchase agreements (PPAs), permitting, boosting flexibility, and grids, just to name a few.
To be clear, the CID contains many misguided priorities and some cynical ploys that will enhance corporate power at the expense of fairness. In addition to signaling support for distractions such as nuclear (e.g. small modular reactors, which energy communities want nothing to do with), and investment in liquefied natural gas infrastructure to enable imported gas, it also guts desperately needed EU legislation to ensure European companies are accountable for respecting human rights and environmental protection.
Moving forward, it will be of utmost importance to create strong links and synergies between the Affordable Energy Action Plan and more concrete and targeted support under the Citizen Energy Package for social economy and local community-led approaches. It will be essential to provide support to energy communities under the Grids Package, through initiatives to facilitate investment (such as the simplification of State aid and upcoming negotiations around the next Multiannual Financial Framework), and the revision of the Public Procurement directives.
Dirk Vansintjan, President of REScoop.eu said, “Energy communities are social economic actors that make up a growing and innovative segment of Europe’s industry that will help deliver the energy transition.” Continuing he said, “To succeed in reinvigorating Europe’s economy, the Clean Industrial Deal must be a social deal at heart; it must prioritise the simplification of regulations for local ownership of production, sharing and supply of renewable electricity and heat by energy communities, along with citizen-led approaches to renovations and energy savings.”
About REScoop.eu
REScoop.eu is the European federation of energy communities. It represents a growing network of 2,500 energy communities and their 2 million citizens who are active in the energy transition. Its goal is to support energy communities to achieve a fairer, more democratic, and sustainable energy system in Europe.
