Implementation Dialogue: Permitting for renewable energy projects and related infrastructure

Taking place in the framework of European Sustainable Energy Week, the Implementation Dialogue with Dan Jørgensen, Commissioner for Energy and Housing, will gather various stakeholders to discuss the implementation of EU legislation on speeding up and simplifying permitting processes to achieve the goal of at least 42.5% renewable energy in final energy consumption by 2030. 

This will require the massive upscaling of renewable energy deployment across Member States, in line with the objectives of the Clean Industrial Deal and of the Affordable Energy Action Plan. 

Principal delays in permit approval come from too many uncoordinated processes, lengthy procedures (especially for environmental permits), staff shortages, slow grid connection steps, outdated systems, and poor spatial planning. 

Accelerating the rollout of clean energy infrastructure is a cornerstone of EU energy policy, and this discussion will explore whether the rules in place are delivering the intended results, and what could be changed to speed up Europe’s clean energy transition. 

Objectives

The dialogue aims to

1. Assess the effectiveness of the legislative framework, with focus on the Renewable Energy Directive and the Emergency Regulation on addressing barriers and accelerating permitting for renewables and related infrastructure.  

2. Identify the remaining challenges (legal, administrative, practical, etc) hindering faster permitting of renewable energy projects and related infrastructure. 

3. Explore solutions and opportunities to further simplify and accelerate permit-granting procedures.  

4. To promote dialogue and share best practices among stakeholders.  

Themes to be discussed

The discussions will be structured in two blocks.

• Evaluation of progress in simplifying and shortening permitting for renewable energy projects and related infrastructure and identify best practices.
• Identify remaining bottlenecks and potential measures to further facilitate faster permitting.

The following questions will guide the discussion:

• Have permitting rules laid down in the revised Renewables Energy Directive and in the Emergency Regulation on addressing barriers and accelerating permitting for renewables and related infrastructure led to simplified and faster permitting?
• What are good examples of positive implementation of these rules?
• What remaining obstacles still hinder permitting procedures?
• What practical solutions can improve the implementation of these rules?
• What else could be done by Member States, local authorities and at EU level? What could be further simplified? 

Participants

The event will bring together key stakeholders from across the EU—including representatives from industry, NGOs, grid operators, regional and local authorities, and policymakers—with careful attention to achieving broad geographical balance and ensuring that perspectives from across the European Union are properly represented. 

• Energinet
• Client Earth Poland
• Ministry for Energy of the North Rhine-Westfalia
• ERG Group
• Hallabro El
• Greenvolt
• Iberdrola

Outcome

The Implementation Dialogue on permitting for renewable energy projects and related infrastructure was held in Brussels on 11 June in the context of the EU Sustainable Energy Week. Seven stakeholders from across the EU, representing the entire renewable energy value chain and including renewable energy developers, renewable energy installers, DSOs, TSOs, civil society, and public authorities, had an open and rich exchange in the presence of Commissioner Jørgensen. It complemented the implementation dialogue Commissioner Roswall organised on 10 April 2025 with focus on environmental assessments and permitting.

All speakers raised points about the implementation of legislation on permitting, shared best practices examples, presented the bottlenecks they are still experiencing and proposed potential solutions to address them. Overall, the discussion highlighted a consensus on the necessity to intensify efforts to implement current EU legislation, in particular the Renewable Energy Directive (revised RED), and to further simplify permitting by reducing the regulatory burden, including by introducing exemptions to environmental legislation and for small-scale projects. There was a call on the Commission to further foster the exchange of best practices among Member States. Participants underlined the need to support permitting authorities with more resources and better skills, particularly at local level. The need for further simplifying procedures (in particular for small-scale projects, storage and repowering), extending the overriding public interest principle, targeted exemptions from specific EU legislation, accelerating the digitalisation of permitting processes and improving data availability was also highlighted. 

Commissioner Jørgensen concluded the exchange with key takeaways on the need to ensure more streamlined procedures and make better use of already existing legislative tools. He stated that developing adequate skills and ensuring adequate staffing levels are important challenges to tackle. 

Related links

• News article: Commissioner Jørgensen hosts high-level implementation dialogue on permitting in the clean energy transition
• Implementation Dialogues - European Commission
• Enabling framework for renewables