Romania
This national factsheet was developed in cooperation with CAN Europe and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), based on the expertise and inputs of WWF Romania. It draws on responses to a dedicated questionnaire circulated across the Romanian environmental and renewable energy NGO network, with the aim of assessing the state of play of the implementation of Renewable Acceleration Areas (RAAs) under Article 15c of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III).
The factsheet provides a concise overview of governance arrangements, the scope and characteristics of RAAs, environmental safeguards, and public participation in Romania. It concludes by identifying key gaps and formulating targeted recommendations at national level.
Last updated: April 2026
Overall assessment
Romania has formally initiated the transposition of Renewable Acceleration Areas (RAAs) under Article 15c of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III), through Government Emergency Ordinance No. 59 of November 2025. While the designation of RAAs has not yet taken place, the adopted framework establishes the main institutional responsibilities and sets out general principles for spatial prioritisation and environmental protection.
The current approach shows positive signals in terms of political and strategic intent, particularly through cooperation between the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests and all other relevant institutions, which is expected to take place under the coordination of the General Secretariat of the Government. At the same time, the practical process remains highly centralised and at an early implementation stage, with key aspects (such as local-level involvement, operationalisation of environmental safeguards, and structured public participation) still to be clarified in practice.
Overall, Romania’s RAA legal framework provides a potential basis for accelerated renewables deployment, but its effectiveness will depend on how inclusively, transparently, and data-robustly it is implemented over the coming months.
Transposition and governance
Status: TRANSPOSED
Romania has completed the legal transposition of Article 15c through Government Emergency Ordinance No. 59/2025 [1] , published in November 2025, which amends and complements the existing renewable energy framework established under GEO 163/2022 [2]. The transposition is closely linked to national energy and climate objectives, including the updated National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Institutional responsibilities are distributed as follows:
- The Ministry of Energy is responsible for the mapping and designation of RAAs.
- The Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests, through its regional agencies, is responsible for Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) procedures.
- The General Secretariat of the Government is tasked with ensuring coordination among national and local authorities.
However, the role of municipalities and local environmental authorities in the mapping and designation process remains insufficiently defined, raising questions about how local knowledge and data can be systematically integrated in the process from early stages.
Inclusion of grids and storage: The legal framework also extends to grids and storage infrastructure, in line with Article 15e RED III, by providing for the designation of areas necessary to integrate renewable energy into the national electricity system (Article 15.5 in the Government Emergency Ordinance No. 59/2025 [1]).
Scope and characteristic of the RAAs
At this stage, RAAs in Romania have not yet been mapped or designated, and no quantitative targets or surface areas have been made public.
The legal framework:
- Does not explicitly designate RAAs by technology, but indicates coverage for onshore and offshore wind, solar energy, and potentially geothermal resources.
- Provides for RAAs across terrestrial areas, continental waters and marine areas.
- Prioritises the use of artificial and built-up surfaces, including rooftops, transport infrastructure corridors, parking areas, industrial sites, mines, waste disposal sites, artificial water bodies, and degraded lands unsuitable for agriculture.
- Explicitly excludes Natura 2000 sites, nationally protected areas, key migratory routes and other environmentally sensitive zones, with limited exceptions for artificial surfaces located within such areas (e.g. rooftops or existing infrastructure).
While the framework requires RAAs to be of a size that meaningfully contributes to national renewable energy targets, concrete spatial outputs are still pending.
Environmental safeguards
Romania’s legislative framework includes several important environmental safeguards in principle, notably:
- The exclusion of Natura 2000 sites, nationally protected areas, migratory corridors, sensitive habitats, historic monuments and protected built areas from RAA designation.
- The requirement that each RAA designation plan undergo a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and, where relevant, an Appropriate Assessment.
However, no national sensitivity mapping exercise has yet been completed or made publicly available to underpin RAA identification. Environmental datasets, tools and methodologies to be used for coordinated spatial planning remain undefined at this stage.
Mitigation measures at RAA level are foreseen in the legislation but have not yet been operationalised, leaving uncertainty as to how biodiversity risks, cumulative impacts, and site-specific sensitivities will be addressed in practice.
Public participation and engagement
So far, no formal public consultations have been conducted under the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for RAA designation, as this phase is only just beginning. More stakeholder engagement is expected to take place during SEA procedures at the designation stage once it formally starts. In the meantime, the consultancy contracted by the Ministry of Energy to carry out the mapping work has held closed, registration-based consultation meetings with selected stakeholders, including one session specifically for NGOs and academic institutions.
Parallel to official processes, civil society organisations (including WWF Romania and partners) have proactively contributed through projects such as RENewLand [3], which developed methodologies, pilot studies and recommendations for coordinated spatial planning and stakeholder engagement, and the current LIFE REALS, it aims to work on reducing barriers to licensing procedures for solar and wind power plants on artificial surfaces.
While these initiatives demonstrate strong NGO engagement and technical input, structured and mandatory public participation mechanisms especially dedicated to local municipalities, remain absent from the national framework, particularly at the early mapping stage where public input could help prevent later conflicts and delays.
Recommendations at national level
Define clear procedures for involving municipalities and local environmental agencies throughout mapping, designation and implementation, supported by dedicated guidance and coordination mechanisms.
Ensure open access to spatial, environmental and grid-related datasets, including sensitivity maps and cumulative impact data, and actively integrate high-quality NGO and academic inputs.
Introduce structured local stakeholder engagement at the mapping stage, alongside SEA procedures, to involve local communities, landowners, civil society and environmental experts early in the process.
Translate existing legal exclusions and principles into concrete, enforceable criteria and mitigation rules at RAA level, backed by up-to-date biodiversity data.
Provide municipalities with technical assistance, financial resources and capacity-building tools to ensure consistent interpretation and implementation of RAA rules on the ground.
Clarify coordination between RAA official process and parallel initiatives, notably offshore wind planning in the Black Sea, RENBAL, and LIFE REALS to avoid regulatory fragmentation and environmental risks and promote the most suitable areas for RAAs development.