Less bureaucracy for the development of renewables in Europe

The European Industry Commission streamlines the bureaucracy that slows down the transition:renewables become of public interest and priority.

The Industry Commission of European Parliament he approved on November 14th a proposal for encourage the diffusion of clean sources:in fact, all renewable projects will be declared to be of public and priority interest and will therefore be exempt from some environmental impact assessments.

However, these new rules are temporary and will therefore only apply until “next winter,” said Mechthild Wörsdörfer, a senior energy official at the European Commission who presented the proposal.

Streamline the bureaucracy that slows down the transition

The proposal is part of the European Union's broader effort to gradually eliminate energy dependence from Russian fossil fuels, accelerating the diversification of sources and accelerating the installation of renewable energy.Last but not least, this maneuver will also do lower the price of energy, say the Commission.

The proposal shortens the approval period for new renewable energy installations from twelve to nine months and requires Member States to determine the so-called “acceleration areas” in which to allow rapid deployment of renewable plants.

Permits must be approved automatically if the responsible authority does not respond in time.Outside these areas, the granting of permission should not exceed 18 months, say the deputies.

Renewables can also cause damage

Even i smaller-scale projects will become easier.Solar installations for buildings should be delivered within three months of the request at the latest, and panels for homes will no longer need an official environmental impact assessment.

Not everyone, however, applauds the initiative. Cee Bankwatch Network, a Prague-based environmental NGO, warned that the legislation could threaten environmental standards and calls on lawmakers to maintain existing safeguards and focus on using all space available on rooftops.

Furthermore, local communities they will have less time to express themselves if the plants are located in protected areas, the NGO points out.“If these proposals become law, they would undermine rules that have been in place for decades and have proven their value in protecting Europe's extraordinary biodiversity.Currently, if a project has a significant impact on a Natura 2000 site, it is generally not permitted to continue, but there are exceptions, which are assessed on a case-by-case basis.The new rules will create a special regime for renewable energy projects which will make environmental assessments largely ineffective, as no project will be considered too harmful to be carried forward."

The report has been adopted by the Industry Committee and will be adopted now submitted to the vote of the European Parliament in December.