Environmental permits, the EU sets a limit of 300 days to speed up projects

Three hundred days to complete environmental assessments of projects, with a maximum extension of 60 days only in exceptional cases. The European Union is trying to speed up authorization procedures, one of the main obstacles to the creation of industrial infrastructure and investments. The objective is to reduce bureaucratic times without weakening environmental guarantees, making the path that leads from the approval of a project to its implementation more predictable.

The Environment, Climate and Food Safety Committee of the European Parliament approved the proposal for a regulation with 36 votes in favour, 35 against and 11 abstentions. A result that highlights the political divisions on a measure intended to impact the relationship between industrial competitiveness and environmental protection.

The text intervenes on the environmental impact assessments of individual projects and on the strategic assessments of plans and programs. Compared to the proposal presented by the European Commission in December 2025, which provided deadlines for the individual administrative phases, MEPs introduce an overall limit of 300 days to complete the entire procedure, excluding the time needed for the proponent to prepare the environmental impact study.

The preliminary phase, necessary to establish whether a project should be subjected to a full evaluation, should be completed within 45 days, compared to the 60 initially proposed by the Commission. The public would be guaranteed at least 30 days to submit comments on the environmental documentation.

Another intervention concerns the fragmentation of administrative competences. The proposal strengthens the role of the environmental one-stop shop, which would become the main interlocutor for companies, coordinating the various authorities involved and the exchange of documents. Proposers would no longer be obliged to present information already transmitted to public offices and could reuse data collected for other evaluations.

Simplification would also come from the complete digitalisation of procedures, through centralized online portals and interoperable IT systems. Member States should also verify the adequacy of the staff of the competent administrations within 12 months, while the European Commission would be called upon to monitor the availability of personnel and resources every five years.

Particular attention is paid to strategic projects, from zero-emission technologies to critical raw materials, from semiconductors to essential medicines, up to ports, inland waterways and railways of the trans-European transport network. For these initiatives there would be accelerated judicial procedures and the possibility of recognizing an overriding public interest under European legislation on the protection of nature and waters.

However, MEPs eliminated from the Commission's proposal the silent consent mechanism for some administrative phases of strategic projects. The possibility of preventing the appellants from presenting arguments not raised during the administrative proceedings in court was also rejected.

The measure is not yet law. The text is expected to be put to the vote of the plenary assembly of the European Parliament between 23 and 26 November. Subsequently, negotiations can begin with the Council of the EU to define the definitive version of the regulation.