The European Commission seeks to modernize the bloc's decades-old electricity grids with a controversial proposal: if authorities do not respond within two to three years, permits will be considered approved. The measure aims to reduce current timelines, which range from 3.5 to 10 years, where more than half of the delays are due to bureaucratic sluggishness.
Administrative silence as a driver of energy infrastructure ⚡
The proposal introduces positive administrative silence for intermediate permits for grid projects, a tool used in other sectors to avoid bottlenecks. The Commission argues that the two- or three-year timeframe allows room to assess environmental impacts without stalling construction. However, the Cypriot presidency leads states that reject the mandatory nature, citing loss of control over local decisions and potential conflicts with national protection regulations.
Europe asks for permission and the file goes on vacation 🏢
The proposal pits bureaucrats against climatologists: some fear their signature will lose value, others that the planet will melt while waiting for a stamp. It seems that in the EU, administrative slowness is the true renewable resource, because it never runs out. In the end, the biggest obstacle to the energy transition is not technology, but the fear that an official might have nothing to do.