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The local dimension of the EU’s transition to renewable electricity

(EurActiv, 20 Jul 2023) Local and regional authorities across Europe have a big role to play in facilitating the green transition and creating a clean energy supply, and citizens, SMEs and stakeholders should have the opportunity to invest and be involved in local power generation facilities, writes Josef Frey.

Josef Frey is a Member of the Baden-Württemberg State Parliament in Germany and a rapporteur on electricity market reform for the European Committee of the Regions. 

The European electricity market design reform represents a major opportunity to complement the current energy regulatory framework by introducing competencies for local and regional authorities to enable the energy transition on local level.

The climate and energy crisis have shown that Europe needs to become independent from fossil fuels, especially from Russian origins. The EU’s climate objectives require an almost completely decarbonised electricity system by 2035. The local level is key for building renewable electricity generation, making demand flexible and strengthening the local economy.

While Member States in the Council and Members of the European Parliament discuss price regulation and state subsidies for nuclear power and coal, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) calls for ambitious market design solutions beyond the national approaches, building on the principles of the energy union.

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EurActiv, 20 Jul 2023: The local dimension of the EU’s transition to renewable electricity