quarterly newsletter · first issue q2 2026

Brussels, translated for your mayor.

Two pages. Once a quarter. Three questions - in every issue: What changed in the EU? What does it mean for you? What can you do in 90 days?

why two pages

Because nobody reads 60.

There are excellent reports on energy communities - from the JRC, the European Commission, the ECA, Bankwatch, Greenpeace. They are long, dense and written for analysts. STUP Brief reads them for you. It distils what matters. It leaves you with one thing to do.

What changed in the EU

A new directive, an ECA report, a call that has opened, a DG ENER decision. 250 words at most.

What it means for you

How it translates into Romania. The concrete impact for a municipality of 10,000-50,000 inhabitants.

What you can do in 90 days

One or two concrete actions. With a deadline. With a link to the right form.

what it looks like

Preview - STUP Brief Q2 2026.

This is how you'll receive the second issue - in Q2 2026, with the Citizens Energy Package freshly announced and PTJ (Programul Tranziție Justă, Romania's Just Transition Programme, funded by the EU Just Transition Fund) open for applications.

STUP BRIEF · 02/2026 p. 1/2

Citizens Energy Package - what you may have missed

What changed in the EU

The European Commission published the Citizens Energy Package on 10 March 2026, with the recommendations following on 30 April. The main directions: wider energy sharing, lower bills for households, network tariffs adapted to flexible local consumption, faster switching of supplier. For communities, what matters is Recommendation C/2026/2850 and the action plan attached to it. It is a non-legislative package - recommendations, not directives. Read it at the source before quoting it in an application.

What it means for you

Two things: (1) the pressure on ANRE (Romania's energy regulator) to issue secondary rules on energy sharing is growing - in 2026-2027 the regulations arrive that let you share the community's energy between non-adjacent blocks of flats. (2) The network tariff may fall for communities with self-consumption >70% - check your DSO bill for Q2.

STUP BRIEF · 02/2026 p. 2/2

What you can do in 90 days

1 · Apply to PTJ

The Just Transition Programme has open calls for energy projects in the JTF regions. Public co-financing reaches up to ~98% for certain calls. The eligible counties are those covered by the Just Transition Mechanism (Gorj, Hunedoara, Dolj, Prahova, Mureș, Galați). Check with MFE (the Ministry of European Funds) for the deadline and the exact amount of the current call.

2 · Prepare your ANRE file

The procedure for registering in the ANRE national register of energy communities was published through ANRE Order 50/2026, in June 2026, and the first communities registered in September. Leave us your email address - we'll send you the STUP checklist with the steps and the documents the file requires.


Next brief · Q3 2026

Pre-Forum: what to ask an integrator before you sign. Plus: we launch STUP Standard v1.0.

2026 calendar

Four issues, one per quarter.

Q1 2026 · issue 01

The Romanian legal framework - what it means in practice

A close look at the framework that gives energy communities legal recognition in Romania (Government Emergency Ordinance (OUG) 163/2022, Law 184/2022 and the secondary legislation). Who to talk to first at the town hall.

Q2 2026 · issue 02

Citizens Energy Package + the open PTJ calls

The package announced by the Commission + the PTJ calls. Two windows - one quarter. (See the preview above.)

Q3 2026 · issue 03

Pre-Forum: how not to be fooled by an integrator

10 must-ask questions before you sign a contract. Plus: the launch of STUP Standard v1.0.

Q4 2026 · issue 04

Lessons from the Forum + the 2027 agenda

Top 5 lessons learned from the Demo Zone. EU calls opening in the first quarter of 2027.

companion

Plus: STUP Funding Map.

The Brief tells you what matters. The Funding Map shows you where the money is. A twice-yearly guide, 6 EU channels: LIFE, the Modernisation Fund, JTF/PTJ, ERDF, RRF (PNRR, Romania's Recovery and Resilience Plan), Innovation Fund. With deadlines, amounts, scoring grids.

I want the Funding Map too →
PNRR Mod. Fund PTJ LIFE
stup brief · free

Two pages. Four times a year.

We launch the first issue in Q2 2026. We'll add you to the list straight away - you get issue zero as a preview, then every quarterly issue straight to your inbox.

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