Regulation 2024/223 - Amendment of Regulation (EU) 2022/2577 laying down a framework to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy - Main contents

Official Journal

of the European Union

EN

Series L

2024/223

10.1.2024

Council Regulation (EU) 2022/2577 (1) introduces urgent and targeted measures to accelerate the pace of deployment of renewable energy sources. The deployment of renewable energy in the Union can significantly contribute to mitigating the effects of the energy crisis, by strengthening the Union’s security of supply, reducing volatility in the market and energy prices. As lengthy and complex permit-granting procedures formed a key obstacle hampering the speed and scale of investments in renewables and related infrastructure, Regulation (EU) 2022/2577 aimed at introducing additional urgent and targeted measures to achieve the immediate acceleration of some of the permit-granting procedures applicable to specific renewable energy technologies and types of projects which have the most potential for quick deployment in order to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis. Regulation (EU) 2022/2577 will apply until 30 June 2024.

Directive (EU) 2023/2413 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2) which amends Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3) entered into force on 20 November 2023, introducing changes to the legislative framework regulating renewable energy until 2030 and beyond, including provisions to streamline permit-granting procedures applicable to renewable energy projects. Some of the measures introduced by Regulation (EU) 2022/2577 were also included in Directive (EU) 2018/2001 by means of Directive (EU) 2023/2413. However, Directive (EU) 2023/2413 did not mirror some of the more exceptional measures contained in Regulation (EU) 2022/2577, thus delimiting exceptional and temporary nature of those measures. Instead, that Directive introduced a stable and long-term permanent regime to accelerate permit-granting procedures which establishes dedicated steps and procedures which require a longer implementation time. Member States have the obligation to transpose Directive (EU) 2023/2413 into their national law by 21 May 2025, with the exception of some of the provisions as regards permit-granting procedures, which have an earlier transposition date, i.e. 1 July 2024, which is immediately after the date of end of validity of Regulation (EU) 2022/2577. Following the transposition of Directive (EU) 2023/2413, renewable energy projects will benefit from the provisions introduced by that Directive to streamline permit-granting procedures.

Pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2022/2577, the Commission carried out a review of that Regulation by 31 December 2023, in view of the development of the security of supply and energy prices and the need to further accelerate the deployment of renewable energy, and presented a report on the main findings of that review to the Council. The Commission, based on that review, has proposed that the validity of some provisions of that Regulation be prolonged.

In its Report of 28 November 2023 on the review of Council Regulation (EU) 2022/2577 of 22 December 2022 laying down a framework to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy, the Commission found that the conditions for the prolongation of the validity of Regulation (EU) 2022/2577 were met and proposed to prolong selected measures that have the greatest potential for the acceleration of the deployment of renewables, which are different from the measures in Directive (EU) 2018/2001, and which...