The transposition of renewable energy community provisions in Central and Eastern Europe: An evidence of varied polycentric governance systems

Renewable energy communities (RECs) were officially recognised at the EU level in 2018. This recognition introduced several provisions now embedded in the revised Renewable Energy Directive. In this chapter, we analyse the implementation of these provisions in three Central and Eastern European Member States—Czechia, Lithuania, and Poland—a region that remains underexplored in both practice and academic literature. The provisions address various aspects of RECs, including their autonomy, internal governance principles, citizen participation, purpose, respect for local proximity, adherence to International Cooperative Alliance principles, and the establishment of controlling authorities. To assess their implementation, we use the concept of polycentric governance, which highlights how climate and energy governance increasingly incorporates non-state actors that foster experimentation through innovative activities while operating under overarching rules, such as those established by the EU. This analysis reveals that the transposition of REC provisions reflects diverse models of polycentric governance across Central and Eastern Europe. Some Member States actively promote energy decentralisation through RECs, while others lag behind, implementing REC provisions inadequately. Moreover, the findings indicate that poor implementation risks exposing RECs to business capture, undermining their intended role of supporting citizen participation and advancing energy democracy.