For Europeans to truly feel part of the European project, they should directly benefit from the EU budget, including by co-creating community-based projects. Such approaches exist (e.g., CLLD methodology & LEADER), but they are few and far between.

One example of such a community-based approach are energy communities. The potential for community ownership of renewables in the EU is considerable. By 2050, it is projected that around 45 percent of renewables production could be owned by EU citizens, around a quarter of which could come through energy communities such as cooperatives. Another study has estimated that by 2030 alone, there is the social potential of 176 billion euros that could be harnessed from EU citizens wanting to invest in energy cooperatives, leading to an aggregated production potential of 195,805 GWh every year.

Currently, most energy communities do not engage with EU funds since they deem them too far and bureaucratic.

Through dedicated One Stop Shops, or through the help of supportive organisations (e.g., national Federations of energy communities), access to EU funds should become simplified, centralised, and accelerated.