The proposed EU DSO entity: what is it and what's at stake?

The document examines the proposed EU DSO entity, a membership-based body intended to enhance cooperation between DSOs and transmission system operators (TSOs) and coordinate the development of Network Codes. While acknowledging potential benefits for integrating renewables and smart grids, the author warns that the lack of formal independence requirements and regulatory oversight could allow large DSOs to lobby for their own interests, create barriers to competition for renewables and demand response, and marginalize smaller, community-owned DSOs. The briefing recommends that ACER, rather than the DSO entity, should lead the drafting of Network Codes and that the entity be subject to explicit independence and representation criteria.

• The proposed EU DSO entity would be a membership-based body of approximately 2,750 DSOs across the EU, designed to coordinate input at the EU level and improve cooperation with transmission system operators (TSOs) on network planning and operation.
• The entity would be responsible for developing and proposing EU Network Codes—legally binding technical measures—specifically those related to distribution networks, as well as monitoring their implementation alongside ENTSO-E.

APA

Roberts, J. (2016). The proposed EU DSO entity: what is it and what's at stake? ClientEarth. https://www.clientearth.org/media/dfddjjfe/the-proposed-eu-dso-entity-what-is-it-and-what039s-at-stake-ce-en.pdf

Chicago

Roberts, Josh. The proposed EU DSO entity: what is it and what's at stake? ClientEarth, 2016. https://www.clientearth.org/media/dfddjjfe/the-proposed-eu-dso-entity-what-is-it-and-what039s-at-stake-ce-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Roberts |first1=Josh |title=The proposed EU DSO entity: what is it and what's at stake? |publisher=ClientEarth |date=December 2016 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/dfddjjfe/the-proposed-eu-dso-entity-what-is-it-and-what039s-at-stake-ce-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{roberts2016proposed, author = {Roberts, Josh}, title = {{The proposed EU DSO entity: what is it and what's at stake?}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2016}, month = dec, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/dfddjjfe/the-proposed-eu-dso-entity-what-is-it-and-what039s-at-stake-ce-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }