On 16 March 2026

The upcoming review of the EU Governance Regulation provides a unique opportunity to bolster EU energy & climate governance but could also – under the guise of “simplification” – be the year that the energy & climate law unravels. The revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED III), adopted in late 2023, laid down the indicative target that 5% of all renewable energy capacity installed in 2030 should be of innovative technology. The Governance Regulation must include this target in the future framework and couple this with EU and national financial instruments to implement the target on a European level.

To this end, EUREC and several other renewable energy organisations have written a letter advocating on behalf of the 5% innovative renewable energy target and its necessity for the EU’s energy future. This letter builds upon EUREC’s previous work advocating for the target under RED III as well as our two reports on the target. It further details market intervention mechanisms (e.g. via NZIA, NECPs, and the Renewable Energy Finance Mechanism) and a standardised definition (as well as indicative list) for innovative renewable energy technologies to aid in implementation. The letter was also used in EUREC’s input in the open public consultation for the Governance Regulation which closed 19 March.

In the face of a turn toward simplified processes and a potential fatigue surrounding subtargets, focus must be maintained on long-term goals and the needs of the future energy system. The future European energy system should be secure, flexible, competitive, and sustainable. Innovative renewable energy technologies are an integral part of this future system.

Read the letter in full here.