Simplifying EU industrial permitting through digital and AI tools
Why permitting matters
The problem
Slow, fragmented industrial permitting is holding back Europe’s green and industrial transition. Managing permits for a single renewable energy project costs developers up to €700,000 in administrative effort alone, before a turbine is built or a panel installed¹.
The EU response
The Draghi Report and the Net-Zero Industry Act both identify streamlined, digitalised permitting as a competitiveness priority. Interoperability and digitalisation are key pillars of the EU’s approach.
Two complementary actions, one objective
An in-depth study covering 14 EU countries mapped the structural barriers. The Net-Zero AI4Permitting Pilot Project is now funding AI and digital solutions, building on the study’s findings.
AI4Permitting Pilot
Call status: Open
The Net-Zero AI4Permitting Pilot Project supports local and regional authorities in Net-Zero Acceleration Valleys to procure and deploy AI and digital tools that make their permitting processes faster, more transparent and better integrated.
Programme launch: Brussels, March 2026
An information session marked the official launch of the Pilot, bringing together IT solution providers and prospective applicants.
The 2025-2026 Study: key findings from 14 EU countries
The Final Report documents findings across 14 Member States and four sectors: renewable energy, semiconductors, critical raw materials, and pharmaceuticals. It examines what they mean for the future of EU permitting and includes recommendations on governance, capacity building, and digitalisation.
¹ Source: Study on Industrial Permitting Processes in the EU, Final Report, 2026 (DG GROW). Staff cost of managing a single renewables permitting process; figure represents the upper range across the 14 Member States surveyed.