The need to maintain the stability of the Renewable Energy Directive in the post-2030 energy framework

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NGOs, civil society and industry call on the European Commission to refrain from reopening the RED legislative framework during the negotiation of the post-2030 energy architecture.

Ahead of the Energy Council on 29 October, a group of NGOs, civil society actors and businesses are calling on the European Commission and Member States to commit to the stability of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and to refrain from reopening this legislative framework during the negotiation of the post-2030 energy architecture.

The NETWORK is a European success story. It notably promoted the deployment of renewable energies in recent decades. Not reopening the NETWORK is the most rigorous and timely way to guarantee regulatory stability and not modifying the rules is the best simplification exercise.

The Renewable Energy Directive has been reviewed four times in as many years. While each review addressed legitimate policy developments, the cumulative effect is that the new provisions included from 2023 have not yet been implemented in the majority of EU Member States.

This regulatory instability undermines the investment certainty essential to meeting Europe’s climate and energy security goals. Investment in renewable energy and associated infrastructure depends on predictable regulatory frameworks. Financial institutions require clarity on objectives, permitting procedures, network and network access rules, auction mechanisms to ensure long-term deployment and effective heat and power purchase agreement frameworks.

A new revision of RED now risks:

• Delay final investment decisions in renewable projects
• Financing costs rise as investors price in regulatory uncertainty
• Divert regulatory attention from implementation and compliance, which is where real-world enforcement takes place.

What Europe needs is a rigorous application of these rules in all Member States, not a legislative revision. To accelerate this, the Commission should:

• Enforce existing RED provisions through conditionality of EU funds
• Provide technical assistance to accelerate Member States’ capacity for permitting and network planning.

Download letter.

T&E article.