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On 26 January 2024, the European Commission published a call for evidence concerning the upcoming guidance to Member States on designating renewables acceleration areas. In our response to the Commission’s call, we make several recommendations on how to conduct mapping and designation processes that respect nature and the rights of the people. In particular, we draw attention to the need to fully comply with the Nature Directives and other EU environmental law from the early stages of the mapping process. We make recommendations on the appropriate use of mitigation measures in renewables acceleration areas and the need to apply precautionary principle in adopting novel mitigation measures. We also urge the exercise of extreme caution in applying any derogations from the Nature Directives. Finally, we recommend that public participation is organised locally on the basis of timely access to detailed information about the planned types of energy and technology, as well as the environmental impacts of their deployment in each renewables acceleration area.