- Funding Programme
- Year
- 2023
Accelerating permitting for renewable energy and green investments – Support to establish a single permitting authority, a single environmental procedure, and better digital tools in Finland
The Commission aims to support the Finnish Ministry of the Environment in modernising and improving permitting for renewable and green investments. Through streamlining permitting processes, enhancing the institutional and legislative framework, and advancing digitalisation, the project will contribute to a more efficient and sustainable environmental permitting system for renewable energy and green investments.
Context
Finland faces challenges related to the complexity and fragmentation of its legal and institutional framework for environmental permitting procedures for renewable energy and green investments. Digitalisation efforts, including the establishment of a one-stop-shop for permitting and supervision services, are ongoing, but further improvements are needed to enhance interoperability and openness of information systems. Additionally, Finland aims to improve maritime spatial planning to effectively manage sustainable wind energy development in its exclusive economic zone.
The project is in line with the EU's aim to accelerate renewable energy and green projects and remove administrative obstacles through simplified permitting processes, as outlined in the recast Renewable Energy Directive and the proposal for the Net-Zero Industry Act. Additionally, it is aligned with the EU's strategy on offshore renewable energy and its efforts to promote sustainable development in this sector.
Support delivered
The project provides support to address Finland's challenges in streamlining environmental permitting procedures, particularly for renewable energy and green investments. This involves analysis and recommendations for establishing a single permitting authority; streamlining different procedures into a single environmental procedure; and improving the digitalisation of information and integration of IT environmental permitting system as well as supporting the integration of the single environmental procedure into the existing digitalised one-stop-shop.
This project is funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument and implemented by the European Commission. It started in October 2023 and will last for 17 months.