Source - Commission Recommendation C(2026)2850 Energy Communities

Reference: C(2026) 2850 final; {SWD(2026) 126 final} (staff working document, not reviewed) Date: 30 April 2026 (Brussels) Signed by: Dan Jørgensen, Member of the Commission Legal basis: Article 292 TFEU (non-binding recommendation) Full title: Commission Recommendation on supporting the development of energy communities and maximising the potential of self-consumption Raw files: Raw/C_2026_2850_ACT-extracted.txt (main Recommendation, 50 recommendations); Raw/C_2026_2850_annexe-extracted.txt (Action Plan annex) Pages: ~14 (main + annex)

Summary

Non-binding Commission Recommendation issued as part of the Citizens’ Energy Package (COM(2026)115). Directed at Member States. Fifty numbered recommendations across seven themes, plus an Energy Communities Action Plan annex. The target is removing barriers to energy community development and self-consumption, complementing the binding obligations already in the Electricity Market Directive and Renewable Energy Directive.

Themes covered:

1. EU definition coherence and governance
2. Permitting and system integration
3. Standardized approach to energy sharing
4. Remuneration to maximize the value of self-consumption
5. Access to relevant energy markets
6. Access to public funding and private financing
7. Awareness-raising and capacity-building / Social inclusiveness / Digitalisation

Key recommendations

Permitting and system integration (Recs 9–13)

Rec 9: Remove permit-granting procedures for small-scale solar PV and storage; simplify grid connections; remove barriers for plug-in batteries and balcony solar (≤800 W).

Rec 10: Ensure timely, transparent, and simple grid connection procedures for energy communities.

Rec 11: Ensure grid operators account for the expected growth and impact of self-consumption and energy community operations in their grid development plans, to allow for anticipatory investments.

Rec 12: Where there is insufficient grid capacity and where technically possible, ensure that energy communities and final customers in energy sharing schemes can enter into a flexible grid connection agreement with system operators when operating storage facilities or achieving high levels of local self-consumption — in line with Art. 6a of Directive 2019/944.

Rec 13: Allow citizen energy communities to manage closed distribution grids (Art. 16(4) and Art. 38(2) of Dir. 2019/944).

Standardized energy sharing (Recs 14–22)

Rec 14: Energy sharing within the same bidding zone or more limited area; NRAs to assess flexibility potential of local energy sharing.

Rec 19: Adopt an interoperable, secure and standardised approach to data management and exchange to operationalize energy sharing.

Rec 22: Enable NRAs to implement regulatory sandboxes for allocation, metering, tariff design, balancing responsibility, data exchange, and settlement.

Access to energy markets (Recs 26–28)

Rec 26: Implement flexible licensing regimes for energy communities to supply energy or provide flexibility services.

Rec 28: Ensure that minimum bid sizes, contract durations, market access models, and prequalification requirements for local energy service markets allow for smaller aggregated assets managed by energy communities or energy sharing groups to participate directly or through an aggregator. Establish regulatory sandboxes for these market design elements.

Action Plan annex — five areas

The annex describes Commission-level actions (not Member State recommendations):

1. Effective enabling frameworks — assess EU definition simplification; monitor national barriers via the new Citizen Energy Advisory Hub (CEAH); investigate unfair marketing practices
2. Access to financing — raise awareness of InvestEU guarantees (2026); publish financing toolbox via CEAH (2026); working group on Cohesion Funds uptake (2026); refinance Energy Communities Facility beyond 2027 for seed funding to 140+ communities
3. Awareness-raising and capacity-building — inform via Covenant of Mayors (2026); technical assistance via CEAH (2026); LIFE CET funding for professionalization (2026)
4. Social inclusion and public participation — EPAH assistance for vulnerable households (2026); community of practice under Public Buyers’ Platform (2026); implementation guide on citizen participation (2026); standardized model contract for developer-community cooperation (2027)
5. Digital innovation and system integration — LIFE CET for smart neighbourhood solutions (2026); local energy planning integration via Covenant of Mayors (2026); Horizon Europe for community microgrids and local renewable heating (2026–2027); EUR 12 million Horizon Europe for AI-based forecasting algorithms to optimize energy sharing value (2026); explore integration of local energy markets at distribution grid scale with the wholesale market in a standardized manner (2027)

EU-wide tracking: Commission will develop EU-wide indicators via CEAH; organise dialogue on citizen energy with MS + EP in 2028.

90 GW target: The Action Plan specifies the target mentioned in COM(2026)115 — “increasing the renewable energy capacity installed by energy communities to up to 90 GW.”

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