Press release
Lawyers challenge Bulgaria and Croatia over rules holding back community energy
10 November 2026
People are being held back from producing and sharing their own clean energy as Europe heads into winter with historically low gas stocks, ClientEarth warned today.
The environmental law organisation has filed complaints with the European Commission against Bulgaria and Croatia, arguing that both countries have failed to create workable conditions for renewable energy communities, despite obligations under EU law.
The complaints follow those filed against Poland and Hungary in July[1]. With these new complaints, ClientEarth has now challenged four EU countries over barriers to producing and sharing local renewable energy that could lower bills and reduce reliance on imported gas.
Around 130 members of Energy Community Burgas in Bulgaria have invested in solar panels that help power a public swimming pool.
Elina Ilieva from Burgas Energy Office, who manages the energy community, said:
“Energy communities give citizens the chance to become producers, not just consumers. But extremely slow, complicated, and cumbersome procedures discourage people from taking part.”
Bulgaria has recently become a global leader in battery storage[2] and is speeding away from its reliance on coal, yet local community leaders say the rules still make it hard for people to produce and share their own clean power.
In Croatia, ClientEarth says the current rules make it hard for energy communities to stay afloat.
Goran Čačić, president of Zagreb-based ZEZ Green Energy Cooperative, said:
“It’s a shell of a framework. Nice and glossy on the outside to check the EU boxes, but there’s almost nothing inside. We have three officially registered citizen energy communities in Croatia: one is most likely already out of commission, and two are struggling to make a living without a proper business model or support.”
Recent price shocks have put households and small businesses across Europe under severe pressure, turning energy bills into an existential question of whether people can keep homes warm, shops open, and local services running. In their October winter outlook, Europe’s gas network operators reported historically low gas stocks alongside high and volatile global gas prices[3]. As gas-fired power plants can set electricity prices, gas price spikes can push up the cost of power[4].
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that pressure could intensify over winter. “We need to act now to protect those most in need,” she said[5].
Helping those most in need access affordable energy is one of the goals of energy communities[6,7]. They allow residents, small businesses, and local institutions to produce and share renewable energy together – for example through an array of solar panels on a school or apartment building. They can help people lower bills, even if they have no suitable roof or cannot afford an installation of their own.
More renewable electricity can reduce reliance on imported gas and help cushion future price shocks. Combined with technology to balance supply and demand, locally generated energy can make national energy systems more resilient[4]. Households participating in energy communities using a mix of solar and wind power could save up to €930 a year[8].
The UK government has recently pledged £30 million for community energy projects around the country[9]. Weak enforcement by the European Commission and national governments dragging their feet leave the EU looking lacklustre in comparison.
EU countries were required to put the Renewable Energy Directive into practice by 30 June 2021[10]. ClientEarth says the four complaints reveal how national rules continue to hold back community energy, in direct contradiction of both the law and logic.
Josh Roberts, energy law expert working with ClientEarth on the complaints, said:
“It’s been more than five years since the deadline, and some countries still make it extremely hard or simply impossible for their citizens to take ownership in the energy transition. Member States can’t keep kicking the can down the road.”
By 2030, the installed renewable capacity of energy communities could grow up to tenfold across the EU, enabling them to produce power for 25-30 million households[8] – but only if legal frameworks are in place to enable it.
Laurène Provost, energy lawyer at ClientEarth, said:
“Geopolitical instability can leave people feeling powerless. Community energy gives them a way to take back some control. It brings neighbours together to produce clean energy, including people who couldn’t do it on their own. Neighbours supporting each other, deciding on local investments, improving their own stomping grounds. We want a Europe where everyone has the chance to take part.”
ClientEarth is asking the Commission to investigate the alleged breaches and ensure the governments of Bulgaria and Croatia act to make community energy a practical and financially viable option.
Notes to editors:
[1] July complaints press release: https://www.clientearth.org/latest/press-office/people-could-save-up-to-930-a-year-clientearth-files-eu-complaints-against-poland-and-hungary-over-blocked-community-energy/
[2] Ember report on global battery storage, Batteries have unlocked the era of anytime solar, 12 August 2026: https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/batteries-have-unlocked-the-era-of-anytime-solar/
[3] ENTSOG Winter Supply Outlook 2026/27 announcement, 8 October 2026: https://www.entsog.eu/media/38034
[4] European Environment Agency analysis of renewable electricity and gas price volatility: https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/publications/renewable-electricity-buffering-gas-prices
[5] EP Plenary Session Preparation of the European Council meeting of 15-16 October 2026: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/video/I-295292
[6] Renewable Energy Directive, Recital 67 and Article 22(4)(f): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32018L2001
[7] Commission Recommendation on supporting the development of energy communities and maximising the potential of self-consumption, points 43-44, 30 April 2026: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32026H1007
[8] Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the Citizens Energy Package, 10 March 2026: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52026DC0115
[9] UK’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on ‘People’s Power’ projects, 17 September 2026: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/peoples-power-projects-to-give-more-control-over-local-energy
[10] Renewable Energy Directive, Article 36(1): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32018L2001
Further info:
https://www.clientearth.org/our-work/clean-energy/energy-communities/
About ClientEarth
ClientEarth works in over 60 countries across Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe. We shape, implement and enforce the law, to build a future for our planet in which people and nature can thrive.
We are tackling climate change, protecting nature and stopping pollution, with partners and citizens around the globe. We hold industry and governments to account and defend everyone’s right to a healthy world.