Energy communities in CEE

In Croatia, despite legal adjustments in July 2023 removing geographical restrictions for energy communities, Croatia still faces a stark absence of both registered energy communities and collective self-consumption initiatives as of February 2024. A supportive legal framework is still missing to foster the foundation and growth of citizen initiatives. However, at least six energy initiatives are willing to register as energy communities, and over 100 inquiries for collective self-consumption have been made. Finally, the ongoing limitations on eligibility and the lack of defined network charges may significantly impact the economic viability of energy-sharing projects. This situation calls for immediate action to support the establishment and success of CECs in Croatia.

Compared to EU ambitions, Estonia's energy community landscape is underdeveloped and in formative stages. A legal foundation exists in the form of the Electricity Market Act (EMA) and the Energy Sector Organisation Act (ESOA), yet the enabling frameworks remain incomplete. no dedicated registration pathways, community-specific financial support schemes, or simplified permitting procedures for energy communities have been established. Ambiguity in the law between apartment associations and energy communities means that under the EMA, any apartment building owners' association that installs shared solar generation could theoretically qualify as an energy community, resulting in a potential base of 1,000–1,500 entities in Estonia. However, the requirements of self-generation, balance responsibility, and an explicit non-profit social purpose mean that only a handful currently operate as genuine energy communities. 

The core gaps are as much sociological as regulatory. Public awareness of energy communities, their rights, and available models remains low, and the knowledge infrastructure to support them, advisory services, one-stop shops, community development support, are largely absent at the national level. Meaningful growth in active energy communities is unlikely without targeted legislative reform to reduce administrative barriers, alongside sustained investment in education and capacity-building at both community and national level.

In Greece, energy communities face several challenges, including limited access to the energy grid, low awareness and uncertainty of the regulatory framework. These issues underscored the need for a representative body to advocate for solutions. In response, several energy communities and supporting organizations, including Electra Energy, joined forces to establish "Desmi," the national coalition of energy communities, which was legally founded in 2024. The main activities of the coalition revolve around policy promotion, capacity building, research, knowledge exchange and others. Desmi currently has 24 regular members (energy communities) and 9 honorary members, with membership open to new participants.

In Hungary, the energy community scene is in a very early stage. After the first changes of the legislative framework and a handful of registered energy communities there are still huge gaps in the regulatory basis and support frameworks for energy communities. Besides the unpredictable and contradictory legal framework regarding community and renewable energy, a historical opposition to cooperatives makes it even harder for energy communities to be formed. While several NGOs are advocating for energy communities, there is also the danger of corporate cooptation of the scene. Solidarity Economy Center created the Transzformátor community energy development agency to raise awareness, build capacity, advocate decision makers, support and consult early energy community initiatives in Hungary.

In Poland, energy communities face legal barriers resulting from the lack of transposition of EU directives, in particular RED II and IEMD, which hampers the development of more sustainable energy practices. Although energy cooperatives will be allowed to operate in urban areas starting in 2026, interested entities still struggle to effectively co-create the local energy landscape due to unclear legal provisions. 

These legal obstacles not only limit the growth of renewable energy initiatives but also negatively affect the broader objective of transitioning toward a more sustainable and inclusive energy system in Poland. The situation highlights the need for legal reforms aimed at aligning national regulations with EU standards and creating a more supportive environment for all energy stakeholders.

At the same time, it is worth noting that last year the SERC Auditing Union was established to support the development and professionalization of the energy cooperative sector. Nearly 600 energy cooperatives are already operating in Poland, demonstrating growing interest in citizen-led models of energy generation and management, as well as the significant potential for further development of this model — provided that stable and enabling legal frameworks are put in place.

In Romania, there is no suitable legislation for the development of energy communities. The two European directives that regulate Renewable Energy Communities (REC) and Citizen Energy Communities (CEC) were translated as they are, but without secondary legislation. This way, no one knows exactly what needs to be done. There are no resources from the government or municipalities, and we are not only talking about financial resources but also the lack of facilities and clarity in legislation. Additionally, the concept is new, and communities are not very aware that they can engage in such activities. Since December 2025, ANRE has initiated public consultations on three key draft orders to regulate energy communities in Romania, aligning with EU directives but raising concerns over excessive bureaucracy. These instruments aim to operationalize community energy setups, yet stakeholders like the our Coalition view them as barriers rather than enablers due to over-regulation.

Key Draft Orders in Consultation:

• National Registry of Energy Communities: Establishes procedures for registering renewable energy communities (CER) and citizen energy communities (CEC), including verification of legal criteria, required documents, timelines, and public data publication while protecting privacy. Deadline for comments was January 30, 2026.
• Cost-Benefit Analysis Approval: Supports mandatory transparent assessments for distributed energy resources in communities, as per EU requirements, to justify viability before operations.
• Trading and Energy Sharing Rules: Covers participation in wholesale electricity markets, storage capacity use for grid services, sharing mechanisms among members, and financial responsibilities like imbalance settlements.

Coalition's Involvement and Critique

Coaliția Energie Comunitară, has submitted comments on the first two drafts and plans to do so for the third. While supportive in principle for enabling setups of communities, the feedback highlights unnecessary complexity that contradicts the goal of simplified, citizen-led renewable sharing.

Status and Next Steps

All drafts remain in public debate as of March 2026, with no final approvals noted; prosumers and coalitions criticize delays and ANRE's expanded role as potentially blocking progress. Monitor ANRE's site for updates or extensions, and consider aligning comments with EU best practices for minimal barriers (e.g., simplified registration).

In Slovenia, energy communities are at the beginning stage of development. They face an inadequate regulatory framework, undeveloped sustainable business models, and low public awareness about the role of energy communities in a just energy transition and their benefits for citizens and local development. To address these challenges  the most active advocates of energy communities joined forces in the informal Energy Community Network in the autumn 2024 (currently 20 members). The network brings together energy communities and cooperatives, as well as NGOs, local energy agencies, municipalities, research organizations, and some companies in the field of renewable energy. Through regular exchange, learning from each other, and advocating more effectively, the network will strive to improve the support framework for energy communities, as well as to raise the awareness of different target groups about energy communities. 

To support new community energy initiatives an energy communities service point was established at the end of 2025. The service point provides information and advice on legislation, legal issues and procedures, support in technical planning, assistance in obtaining financing, training, workshops, transfer of good practices, as well as networking, and knowledge exchange opportunities.