More than 50 organisations have signed an open letter published by the European Federation of Renewable Energy Cooperatives (Rescoop), calling for greater inclusion in the European Commission’s National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRRP).
Set to take effect from 2028 up to 2034, the NRPPs represent a major overhaul of how the EU provides funding and financial support to member states. It aims to group together planning and spending from many different EU funds into a single unified plan per member state.
With around €865bn from the EU budget set to go towards these plans, they are central to the bloc’s spending in the future.
While member states are already beginning to lay the groundwork for implementation of their NRPPs, businesses and other organisations are calling for ‘meaningful’ amendments to ensure greater local and regional inclusion. To this end, Rescoop has published an open letter demanding greater transparency in the plans.
Addressing the European Commission, the letter says: “The 53 undersigned organisations call on the European Commission and member states to ensure transparent, structured, and inclusive NRPPs. Strong implementation of the partnership principle and genuine multi-level governance can maximise the added value of EU funds through enabling more targeted, place-based investments and wider dissemination of impacts.
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It can also ensure social buy-in of national reforms, contributing to overall EU objectives. Crucially, integrating citizens’ needs into the long-term financial decision-making process can restore trust in European values at a time of multiple and overlapping crises.”
While it does not mention co-operatives or mutuals by name, the letter demands that “cities, regions and social partners must have a more prominent role in the design of NRPPs” when it comes to delivering the EU’s climate and energy transition objectives. It says this should take at each stage of the plans’ development, including preparation, implementation and monitoring phases.
53 organisations have signed the letter, including a number of Rescoop member organisations. Rescoop has been campaigning for a just and inclusive energy transition for several years, with a central place for community energy.
