En

European Union breaking the RES deadlock | Energy Flash

13 May 2022 | Knowledge, News

Building energy independence whilst moving towards a low-carbon economy and combating climate change – this is just one of the major challenges facing European politicians today. While energy prices in Europe are breaking new records, the diversification of supplies of low-emission fuels, such as natural gas, cannot be achieved overnight. Some states (including Poland) are therefore beginning to look more openly to coal, and this may mean squandering the achievements made to date in obtaining clean energy.

The European Commission has also been looking for a way out of this impasse for some weeks, and is set to publish detailed conclusions of its work together with a set of proposed solutions next week. Instead of passively waiting for the existing natural gas sources and supply chains to change, or giving up the battle for green energy and reverting to coal, it has been decided that the best course would be to intensify support for RES investment.

The Commission’s proposals, which are expected to be published as an official communication on 18 May 2022, are to include new increased RES target shares in Member State energy mixes. This has been expected, as the Commission signalled already in March that it would be necessary to consider raising or bringing forward the deadline for achieving RES targets.

To meet these new stringent requirements, the measures that Member States would have at their disposal are to include, among other things, new permit-granting rules and photovoltaic strategies. According to information on the Commission’s plans, this is seen as a great opportunity to meet all three challenges facing the EU today: energy independence, carbon efficiency and lower energy prices. The strategy is to be based on four pillars:

  • The European Solar Rooftops Initiative – integrating the installation of PV panels with roof renovation, imposing an obligation by 2025 to place PV panels on the roofs of all buildings owned by public entities (where technically feasible), and supporting the creation of a RES prosumer community at local government level. The idea of mandatory installation of PV panels for all new construction projects is also still under discussion;
  • The EU Skills Partnership – providing skilled labour for the RES sector;
  • The European Solar Industry Alliance – a new programme launched by the European Commission to support the creation of supply chains based on locally produced components;
  • New guidelines addressed to Member States to ease administrative burdens, red tape and waiting times for all approvals and permits necessary to start producing green energy; Member States will also be required to identify potential onshore and offshore sites for renewable energy production to assist investors complying with all formalities. RES projects are also to be given the status of public purpose investments, which is expected to further streamline administrative procedures.

Do you have any questions? Get in touch with us

Wojciech Wrochna

Latest Knowledge

Announcement of Income Tax Reform

On 19 August, during a press conference, the Prime Minister announced a package of tax changes planned for next year. According to the announcement, the reform is intended, on the one hand, to ease the burden on the middle class and, on the other, to shift a greater fiscal burden onto the wealthiest individuals and the largest companies. We take a look at the proposals included in the announced package and explain what they might mean for taxpayers.

Family foundations and the tax authorities: what draft bill UD447 proposes and why this is not the end of the troubles

Family foundations were intended to provide entrepreneurs with a stable framework for intergenerational wealth management. Yet not even four years have passed since the first such foundations were established, and the rules governing their taxation are set to be changed once again. This is because the scale of interest and the practical problems uncovered have overwhelmed the drafters of the legislation, as best illustrated by the figures – 927 applications for individual tax rulings and 77 opinions issued from the Head of the National Revenue Administration. This does not, however, mean that family foundations are being used on a massive scale for aggressive tax optimisation. A significant proportion of the queries concerned simply how to correctly apply the complex regulations.

NIS2 and the National Cybersecurity System Act in transport: what you need to do before October 2026

The amended Act on the National Cybersecurity System (UKSC) has been in force since 3 April 2026. For transport sector undertakings, this means a specific compliance timeline, including an obligation to register with the National Cybersecurity System (KSC) registry by 3 October 2026. Failure to do so may result in substantial financial penalties, coupled with the risk of personal liability for senior management. Not every undertaking, however, automatically falls within the scope of the new regime. Read on to find out whether your organisation is affected and what you need to do before the deadline for preparation.

Family foundations: the government has done the maths and presented the bill

Three years. That’s how long we’ve been waiting for what the Council of Ministers had seen in the data from the outset – and has now disclosed in its review of the Family Foundation Act. The document not only diagnoses the problems, but also previews substantial changes to rules that founders and their advisers treated as settled and stable. And therein lies a problem that goes far beyond tax matters. If the rules of the game are changed while the game is being played, there can be neither planning stability nor trust in the law. It is no coincidence that one of the greatest concerns among entrepreneurs considering setting up a foundation is not the level of taxation, but the stability of the legal framework – which today is once again being called into question.

What the new swiss franc act means for banks

We now have a new Act on Special Measures for the Adjudication of Cases Concerning Loan Agreements Denominated in or Indexed to the Swiss Franc. The provisions come into force 14 days after publication. So now is a good time to look at what lies ahead and what banks should be doing today.

New draft Pay Transparency Act – what has changed since December 2025?

A second version of the draft act on strengthening the application of the right to equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women has now been published. It refines procedures and deadlines and introduces a new supervisory body. We have already discussed the changes affecting the recruitment stage and the three pillars of the forthcoming pay transparency framework, noting that Poland will miss the EU transposition deadline of 7 June 2026. Now, we take a closer look at the further changes, new developments and risks that have emerged in the latest, April version of the draft.

Payment Services Regulation (PSR) – between consumer protection and due diligence

The draft Payment Services Regulation (PSR) is one of the most significant elements of the reform of the EU legal framework for payment services. Its principal aim is to enhance the security of cashless transactions and to reduce the scale of financial fraud, in particular that arising from the growth of digital channels. At the same time, the new rules are intended to introduce a liability model that will not result in risk being transferred entirely to financial institutions, whilst retaining an important role for independent due diligence on the part of the user.

Energy deregulation – key changes for businesses and energy consumers

The President has now signed the Energy Deregulation Act (UDER92). The new provisions cover both the relationships between energy undertakings and consumers, and matters relating to investment, district heating, and the administrative obligations of energy market participants. The Act introduces changes in the areas of billing, communication with consumers, grid connection, and the operations of undertakings in the energy and district heating sectors. We set out the key points to note.

Banking sector overview | Banking today and tomorrow | July 2026

Under the draft legislation, banks will be required to offer existing borrowers a switch from WIBOR-based to POLSTR-based interest rates, a mechanism intended to speed up the voluntary transition of financial instruments to the new benchmark. The banking sector has responded positively to the proposal, according to Tadeusz Białek, President of the Polish Bank Association.