ClientEarth contribution to the European Commission’s call for evidence Renewable energy – guidance on designating renewables acceleration areas

ClientEarth argues that the designation of renewables acceleration areas must strictly adhere to the Birds and Habitats Directives, the SEA Directive, and the Aarhus Convention to avoid legal challenges and environmental degradation. The document recommends that Member States coordinate RED mapping with National Restoration Plans, exclude not only Natura 2000 sites but also areas likely to have significant effects on them, and implement a rigorous, transparent public consultation process that includes the 'zero option' of not designating an area.

• The exclusion of Natura 2000 sites from renewables acceleration areas must extend to locations outside these sites if projects there are likely to have adverse environmental impacts on the protected sites, including cumulative impacts from other projects regardless of their status (completed, approved, or proposed).
• Member States should exclude 'degraded land not usable for agriculture' from acceleration areas if such land has significant biodiversity value and is targeted for restoration under the Nature Restoration Regulation to avoid increasing restoration costs.
• The use of 'novel mitigation measures' to prevent species killing or disturbance must be subject to a strict case-by-case assessment based on the precautionary principle, including the quality of scientific evidence and the conclusiveness of pilot projects.
• Public participation in the designation of acceleration areas must occur early in the process while all options are still open, specifically including the 'zero option' of not designating a particular area.
• To ensure meaningful public participation, Member States must provide comprehensive background information, use effective communication channels to reach the 'public concerned', and allocate sufficient time—suggesting a minimum of six weeks for document inspection and six weeks for submitting comments.

APA

ClientEarth (2024). ClientEarth contribution to the European Commission’s call for evidence Renewable energy – guidance on designating renewables acceleration areas. https://www.clientearth.org/media/q2td25hb/clientearth-s-recommendations-to-the-european-commission-s-guidance-on-renewables-accelerations-areas-why-it-must-respect-nature-and-people-s-rights.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. ClientEarth contribution to the European Commission’s call for evidence Renewable energy – guidance on designating renewables acceleration areas. 2024. https://www.clientearth.org/media/q2td25hb/clientearth-s-recommendations-to-the-european-commission-s-guidance-on-renewables-accelerations-areas-why-it-must-respect-nature-and-people-s-rights.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=ClientEarth contribution to the European Commission’s call for evidence Renewable energy – guidance on designating renewables acceleration areas |date=February 2024 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/q2td25hb/clientearth-s-recommendations-to-the-european-commission-s-guidance-on-renewables-accelerations-areas-why-it-must-respect-nature-and-people-s-rights.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2024clientearth, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{ClientEarth contribution to the European Commission’s call for evidence Renewable energy – guidance on designating renewables acceleration areas}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2024}, month = feb, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/q2td25hb/clientearth-s-recommendations-to-the-european-commission-s-guidance-on-renewables-accelerations-areas-why-it-must-respect-nature-and-people-s-rights.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }