Nature in the EU energy transition – Consultant work on practical measures to accelerate renewable energy and grid deployment while upholding environmental standards 

Application deadline
Wednesday 22 October 2025 – 23:45

Location
Remote

Budget
a maximum of EUR 10.500 total budget (VAT incl.)

Background 

Achieving the European Union (EU) ’s climate goals depends on a substantial and rapid rollout of renewable energy. To achieve this, permitting procedures for renewables must become faster and more predictable. BirdLife Europe recognises that accelerating renewable energy development is essential to meet climate goals as part of building a thriving, sustainable society for the future. However, these objectives must not be achieved at the expense of biodiversity objectives, where the EU is already lagging considerably behind¹. This is why BirdLife Europe is engaging with the renewable sector to support the development of renewables in harmony with nature. Facing the need to further accelerate the transition, the European Commission has recently announced a series of initiatives to speed up deployment in the coming years, after adoption of the Emergency Regulation and corresponding amendments to the Renewable Energy Directive in the last term. 

While BirdLife Europe supports the objectives of accelerating the transition, we highlight that the Commission’s approach should not come at the cost of weakening long-standing environmental safeguards, but should focus on addressing bottlenecks to permitting at national, regional and local levels, such as staff capacity in authorities. Many of these environmental protections, in place for decades, have been effective in conserving biodiversity and habitats. Acceleration of the energy transition should therefore follow the mitigation hierarchy and aim for a net positive impact on nature, ensuring that the acceleration does not result in an unstable legislative environment.  

As part of the upcoming EU efforts to speed up permitting, the European Commission has recently announced several initiatives, including so-called “omnibus” packages, focused on simplifying processes to accelerate permitting, which will have a potentially irreversible impact on environmental rules. Recently, Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen pledged to “fundamentally slash” permitting times to speed up renewable energy development and meet EU climate targets. He also acknowledged the challenge this poses, as it requires revisiting laws that safeguard birds and natural habitats. 

Unfortunately, the omnibuses themselves rarely undergo proper consultations or come with in-depth impact assessments, in contrast to what is foreseen in the Commission’s Better Regulation Guidelines, creating space for speculation and misinformation.  

During the recent year, the discussions also gave space to the spread of misinformation, leading to increased polarisation of the debates, resulting, in particular, in increased opposition to environmental protection in the context of energy transition.  

Aims & Scope 

In this context, this consultant work aims at looking at real-world bottlenecks and blockers to accelerate the renewable developments. It should: 

• Assess existing administrative bottlenecks and blockers in a selection of Member States to accelerate renewable energy and grid development, based on concerns raised by the different stakeholders involved in the permitting process  

• review from where those stems, and how they could be remedied in the Member States assessed (therefore also comparing authorities’ interpretation/practice in different Member States), and 

• provide more general recommendations to address those bottlenecks and accelerate renewables permitting without weakening environmental standards or risking negative impacts on biodiversity.  

The consultant should examine concrete bottlenecks linked to a broad range of relevant legislation and their legal interpretation, including the Renewable Energy Directive, the Birds and Habitats Directives (within both the species protection and the habitat/site protection regime), the Water Framework Directive, the Nature Restoration Regulation, the horizontal provisions from the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directives, and other relevant existing or upcoming legislation (e.g., the upcoming EU Soil Monitoring Law). They should consider the concerns raised by the renewable energy and grid sectors, assess their root causes and propose solutions to ensure that acceleration of permitting is possible without weakening environmental standards. 

The report should focus on a selection of at least three Member States, identified for their relevance. The findings will feed into BirdLife Europe’s recommendations to support the acceleration of permitting while ensuring environmental safeguards are maintained in the coming years. 

Methodology 

The consultant will carry out a combination of desk-based research and targeted stakeholder interviews to identify and assess blockers and bottlenecks, where they stem from and what could be done to solve them. Based on those concrete issues and solutions, the consultant will propose recommendations for good practices for accelerating permitting procedures while ensuring renewable energy deployment is compatible with biodiversity protection. 

Desk-based research 

The consultant will review: 

• published scientific and sectoral literature (including NGO, academic, and business publications); 

• adopted EU and national legislation, strategies, and guidance; 

• relevant evaluations and reports from regulators and institutions; 

• general and specialist media that highlight national experiences. 

This review should focus on how adopted environmental legislation and their legal interpretation can possibly slow down renewable development and permitting processes, while taking into account the key protections that such legislation aims to put in place. Particular attention should be paid to: 

• the Birds and Habitats Directives, 

• the Water Framework Directive,  

• the Nature Restoration Regulation,   

• the horizontal provisions from the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directives, 

• The Renewable Energy Directive and, in particular, the Renewable Acceleration Areas (RAAs). 

The consultant should also consider issues related to national or local governance, standards and permitting frameworks. 

Stakeholder interviews and consultations 

To complement the literature review, the consultant will conduct structured interviews with: 

• renewable energy developers and industry representatives; 

• grid operators and transmission system organisations; 

• relevant national or regional authorities where appropriate; 

• Relevant technical or legal experts on permitting procedure and environmental requirements. 

These interviews will assess sector concerns related to the above-mentioned environmental legislation and procedure, including potential issues related to local procedures and permitting framework, with a particular focus on permitting, data requirements, and perceived barriers to timely deployment. Following these discussions, the consultant will consult NGO and BirdLife experts to cross-check, contextualise, and assess the recommendations of industry players and their potential impact on conservation objectives as laid down in the legislation. This step will be crucial in identifying specific recommendations that reflect both the needs of deployment and the imperative of biodiversity protection, and in proposing recommendations. 

Comparative assessment and recommendations 

Findings from both research and interviews will be synthesised into a comparative assessment across the selected Member States, highlighting transferable lessons and concrete solutions for streamlining implementation and accelerating permitting. Based on this, the consultant will develop concrete, practical recommendations that can support Member States and the EU to accelerate renewable energy and grid deployment while maintaining strong environmental safeguards, while setting a positive narrative on safeguarding nature. 

Reporting and engagement 

• The consultant will maintain informal contact with the project officer at least once every 10 days during the contract. 

• A draft report will be shared with BirdLife Europe  

• One formal online progress meeting will take place before submission of the full draft, which will be followed by a review period of at least 14 days by BirdLife. 

• A second online meeting will take place after the review period to discuss any changes before finalisation. 

Timeline & Budget 

The estimated time input is the following: 

Stage/deliverable	Description	Timeline
Inception note	Short note in English outlining methodology, sources, draft report structure, and timeline	1 week after the contract starts
Draft report	Full draft technical report (~25 pages, plus Annexes) with key findings and recommendations, in English	By the end of November  The draft report will be shared with relevant BirdLife partners for feedback
Final report	Incorporating BirdLife feedback; ready for inclusion in BirdLife briefings and internal use  Alongside the Final report, there should be a slide deck (PowerPoint or Canva; max 10 slides) summarising findings (to be used internally and externally)	Preferably by the end of December, but no later than the end of January.

Evaluation criteria & weighting: 

Proposals will be assessed against the following criteria: 

• Relevant expertise and experience: Demonstrated knowledge of EU renewable energy and biodiversity policy, and proven experience in analysing national legislation or regulatory practice. Previous work on permitting, environmental assessments, or renewable energy deployment will be considered a strong asset. 

• Quality of the proposed approach: Clarity, feasibility, and suitability of the proposed methodology, including how the consultant plans to identify, analyse, and compare national examples. Proposals should demonstrate an ability to produce concise, evidence-based, and policy-relevant findings within the timeframe. 

Only bids that clearly demonstrate relevant subject knowledge and methodological rigour will be considered. The consultant must be able to complete the work within the timeframe and budget indicated below. 

Start date: As soon as possible 

End date: Preferably by the end of December, but no later than the end of January 2025 

Budget foreseen: a maximum of EUR 10.500 total budget (VAT incl.). 

How to apply? 

Please submit your portfolio, CV and a presentation document detailing your relevant experience, your method of work and a financial bid to [email protected] (copy the email address into your preferred email browser) by 15 October at the latest.  

Additional Information 

For clarifications and queries, please contact András Takács, Energy Policy Officer, at [email protected] (copy the email address into your preferred email browser).