From policy vision to practice: Why Energy Agencies matter for the Citizen Energy Package

FEDARENE has published a new Position Paper on Citizen Energy, highlighting the essential role of Regional and Local Energy Agencies in delivering a clean, secure, and democratic energy transition across Europe.

As the EU moves towards a more decentralised and citizen-led energy system, Regional and Local Energy Agencies act as trusted intermediaries between European policies and local realities. Their proximity to citizens, local authorities, and energy communities allows them to translate EU objectives into concrete action and ensure that the benefits of the energy transition are inclusive and socially fair.

This Position Paper sets out key recommendations addressed to EU policymakers in the context of the upcoming Citizens Energy Package. It calls for clearer guidance, stronger implementation, and targeted support to enable the full potential of Renewable Energy Communities (RECs). In particular, FEDARENE underlines the need to:

• Ensure consistent and effective implementation of REC provisions across Member States;
• Strengthen the role of energy agencies in tackling energy poverty and supporting vulnerable consumers;
• Improve data exchange and grid access for citizen-led projects;
• Support the development of One-Stop Shops for energy communities led by Regional and Local Energy Agencies, ensuring that OSS are rooted in the public interest, driven by neutrality, and embedded within long-term territorial strategies;
• Facilitate access to finance through better engagement with the banking sector;
• Provide clear guidance on energy sharing, heating and cooling, and collective renovation.

Drawing on concrete examples from across Europe, the paper demonstrates how Regional and Local Energy Agencies are already supporting more than 2,300 energy community projects and how EU-level action could significantly accelerate this impact.

The Position Paper also builds on FEDARENE’s active engagement with EU institutions and stakeholders, including the final CONNECTHEAT workshop, organised with the European Commission (DG ENER) and CINEA. This event highlighted the untapped potential of citizen-led and local solutions in the heating and cooling sector, bringing together policymakers, regional actors, and practitioners to discuss concrete pathways for scaling up collective and inclusive approaches. The discussions reinforced a key message echoed in this Position Paper: without clear EU guidance, tailored financing, and strong local intermediaries such as Regional and Local Energy Agencies, citizen energy initiatives in heating, cooling, and renovation will remain underdeveloped. The workshop outcomes directly inform FEDARENE’s proposition to address the structural barriers limiting energy communities beyond electricity.

With this Position Paper, FEDARENE calls on the European Commission and Member States to fully recognise and support Regional and Local Energy Agencies as key enablers of citizen energy, ensuring that the energy transition is not only sustainable, but also rooted in local communities.

Read the full Position Paper and discover more about FEDARENE’s recommendations for a stronger citizen energy framework in Europe.