The European Commission has decided to sue Bulgaria and Slovakia over their failure to transpose the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive into their national legislation. The Commission will refer the two countries to the Court of Justice of the European Union with a request to impose financial sanctions. EU Member States were required to transpose the Directive into their legislation by 30 June 2021.

The EU’s Renewable Energy Directive, adopted in 2018, provides the legal framework for the development of renewable energy in electricity, heating and cooling, and transport in the EU during the 2020-2030 decade. It sets an EU-level binding target for 2030 of at least 32% renewable energy and includes measures to ensure support for renewable energy is cost-effective, and to simplify administrative procedures for renewable energy projects.