Energy Communities in the spotlight: new legislative steps for Romania’s green transition

The DECA Project, funded through the Interreg Danube Region Programme, provides a European framework for accelerating the energy transition through the direct involvement of communities. In this context, the Agency of Brașov for the Management of Energy and Environment (ABMEE) plays an active role as a project partner, supporting citizens to become part of the change and to produce green energy for their own communities.

ABMEE’s mission is clear: to transform the energy transition into a participatory and inclusive process. Through the DECA actions, the agency supports local authorities, homeowners’ associations, NGOs and citizens to establish Energy Communities, a model that reduces dependence on conventional energy production sources, lowers costs for vulnerable households and stimulates green investments at local level.

Government Ordinance 59/2025  - a step forward

The new ordinance brings greater flexibility and diversity to activities eligible for Energy Communities. This creates opportunities for innovative projects: from photovoltaic systems installed at household level to local capacities for production and storage of renewable energy. These long-awaited changes are essential for a more accessible and more sustainable energy transition for communities.

What is new in the ordinance: a clear definition of Energy Communities, officially recognizing them as structures capable of producing, consuming, storing and even transporting energy at local level. At the same time, the ordinance grants extended rights for citizens and local authorities: households, municipalities and small enterprises can generate electricity, can consume the energy within the community and the surplus can be traded.

The open letter supported by ABMEE

Faced with the risk that funds dedicated to Energy Communities under the Just Transition Programme could be reallocated, ABMEE joined Greenpeace Romania and other organizations by signing an open letter addressed to the Ministry of Investments and European Projects. Our initiative supported the fact that the €500 million budget must be maintained in full, so as not to compromise years of local efforts and in order to respect the commitments made to the European Commission and to citizens.

The letter opened the path for dialogue, giving us the opportunity to move forward with the common objective: maintaining funds for local renewable energy projects intended for households and administrative-territorial units, in order to develop Energy Communities.

Energy Communities are not just a technical instrument. They are the expression of energy democracy, a way through which people regain independence over resources, reduce their costs, increase their resilience and keep economic value within their territory. Through its involvement in the DECA project, ABMEE reaffirms its commitment to transforming Brașov into a model of fair, participatory and people-driven energy transition.