Source: European Parliament
1. Under the current EU legal framework, it is for the national authorities in the Member States to assess and, if necessary, to monitor the impact of individual windfarms on the environment and protected species. The Commission is not aware of any EU-funded wind energy investments being suspended.
2. To the Commission’s best knowledge, the share of windfarms that has been subject to court fines for environmental damages is extremely marginal, which does not support the idea that electricity prices in Europe could have been influenced by such fines.
3. For Natura 2000 sites, in line with the relevant provisions under the Habitats Directive[1], it is for the national authorities in the Member States to determine, on a case-by-case basis, the adverse impacts of a new windfarm development[2]. A similar case-by-case approach would also need to be applied when assessing possible environmental impacts on other valuable nature sites, nature reserves, parks or forests.
The Commission has adopted a recommendation[3] and guidance[4] on permitting for renewable energy projects, which stresses the necessity to identify likely significant effects on the environment and measures envisaged to prevent, reduce and offset them as much as possible. In the recommendation, the Commission stated that Member States ‘should provide clear and transparent information with reasoned justification on restrictions related to distance to housing and military or civil aviation zones’.
- [1] Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora, OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7-50.
- [2] Guidance document: Directorate-General for Environment, Guidance document on wind energy developments and EU nature legislation, Publications Office of the European Union, 2020, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2779/457035.
- [3] Commission Recommendation (EU) 2024/1343 of 13 May 2024 on speeding up permit-granting procedures for renewable energy and related infrastructure projects, C/2024/2660, OJ L, 2024/1343.
- [4] https://energy.ec.europa.eu/document/download/ad850f73-ab84-4ce1-9e66-7430f8f0c7e5_en?filename=SWD_2024_124_1_EN_autre_document_travail_service_part1_v3.pdf.