Legal Implementation and Digital Enablement of Energy Communities Across Europe: Insights From FlexBIT Project

The European Union has introduced legal frameworks for Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) and Citizen Energy Communities (CECs) through Directives (EU) 2018/2001 and 2019/944, enabling collective energy generation, storage, and sharing. However, their implementation across Member States varies due to legal complexity and limited digital support. The FlexBIT project addresses these challenges by developing and interoperable platform that enables energy sharing, flexibility management, and alignment with EU regulations. This paper presents a comparative analysis of national frameworks in Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, and Poland, highlighting different levels of alignment with EU directives and identifying key legal and technical barriers. It also examines the role of digital tools, data governance, and smart contracts that support energy community operations. Findings show Malta as the most advanced in legislative transposition, while Germany has not yet fully aligned. FlexBIT demonstrates how digital and legal approaches can promote the energy transition from citizens and local actors.