The support directly benefiting third parties planning to launch energy community projects should amount to at least 70% of the budget through a support scheme which may include two different stages:

• First stage: Pre-screening to check the feasibility of project ideas. The pre-screening should be carried out by a network of dedicated experts at national level able to assess the projects’ viability considering their local conditions.
• Second stage: Support to the development of business plans for energy community projects considered viable following the pre-screening. Proposals should set up a structure able to deliver financial support to third parties in the form of ‘lump sum grants’ to help projects develop business plans. These plans should be produced within a limited period of time and cover, inter alia: technical analysis of the planned investment project(s), a study of planning considerations and grid connection options, a legal analysis, a governance analysis, an engagement strategy and a clear identification of financing options. The network of national experts should also establish helpdesks to give ad-hoc advice to applicants, help promote the facility, train local actors, support third parties selected for direct financial support in contracting the expertise necessary to develop their business plans, and ensure quality control.

Proposals should outline their approach to ensure that the process and criteria for the allocation of financial support to third parties is conform to EU standards concerning transparency, equal treatment, conflict of interest and confidentiality.  In accordance with the EU Financial Regulation, when designing schemes to provide financial support to third parties, applicants should outline:

• the different types of activities that may receive such financial support.
• the definition of the persons or categories of persons which may receive such financial support.
• the criteria to select beneficiaries, including, inter alia, the ambition of the energy-related impacts, the potential impact in the context of community energy in a particular country, the soundness of the business model envisaged, and the foreseen use of potential profits.

The proposed direct financial support shall be targeted only to third parties which are compliant with the definition of “Renewable Energy Community” or “Citizen Energy Community” in EU legislation or are developing structures which aim to qualify as such.

The Facility should also establish an appropriate framework for comprehensive monitoring, analysis and capitalisation of results, which will inform the design of future potential phases of the initiative, as well as policy development.

The Facility shall also carry out supporting actions to help best practice sharing and peer to peer exchanges between energy communities. In particular, applicants should plan cross-country trainings as well as a series of open strategic dialogues across Europe.

The European Energy Communities Facility should also monitor the emergence of services delivering support for project development in the different Member States (capacity building and technical assistance) and, to the extent possible, exploit potential synergies with those. It may also collaborate with other relevant initiatives such as the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, the EU City Facility and the European Island Facility, the Smart Cities Marketplace and the Support Service for Citizen-led renovation.