EUPublished: 21 September 2026

[Regulatory Update] EU Adopts Common Rating Scheme for Data Centres — Entry into Force Follows Scrutiny Period

Source:European Commission / Commission Delegated Regulation of 21 September 2026 (common Union rating scheme for data centres)

On 21 September 2026, the European Commission adopted a Delegated Regulation establishing a common EU rating scheme to assess the environmental performance of data centres, including their energy and water use. It covers data centres with an installed information technology (IT) power demand of at least 500 kW, a threshold already set by the earlier Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1364. Using data collected under the existing reporting scheme, it will assess energy efficiency, water use, the use of renewable and low-carbon energy, interaction with the electricity grid and waste heat reuse, and issue the results as electronic labels. The first labels are expected to be generated automatically by 15 August 2027. However, the adopted regulation has not yet entered into force: it is subject to a two-month scrutiny period by the European Parliament and the Council, and will enter into force only if no objection is raised. On the same day, the Commission launched a 12-week public consultation on minimum performance standards for data centres. This is a separate initiative from the rating scheme: feedback is due by 14 December 2026, a legislative proposal is planned for the second quarter of 2027, and no draft regulation exists yet.

Editor's View

This development marks the stage at which the EU has put in place a framework to make data centre performance visible through common indicators, treating data centres not simply as digital infrastructure but as industrial infrastructure with environmental impacts on energy, water, the power grid and waste heat. However, as a Commission Delegated Regulation, the adopted act is still in the process of taking effect, pending the absence of objections from the European Parliament and the Council, and it does not yet impose any new specific obligations on data centre operators. In practical terms, operators may want to review the accuracy of the data they already submit under existing reporting obligations, ahead of the automatic issuance of electronic labels planned for August 2027. The minimum performance standards initiative launched on the same day is a separate and more forward-looking seed of future mandatory requirements; it is important to track the two as separate tracks rather than conflating them.

※ This article is based on official public information from an external source (European Commission / Commission Delegated Regulation of 21 September 2026 (common Union rating scheme for data centres)) and has been analyzed and organized for practical use.

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Related Regulation Information

EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), 2023 Amendment

The amended EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EED, Directive (EU) 2023/1791) is a core piece of legislation within the Fit for 55 package, entering into force on October 10, 2023. It sets a legally binding, EU-wide target of cutting final energy consumption by 11.7% by 2030, relative to a 2020 baseline scenario — specifically, capping 2030 primary energy consumption at 992.5 Mtoe and final energy consumption at 763 Mtoe. The directive introduces "energy efficiency first" as a legally binding principle, requiring member states to factor energy efficiency into all major policy and investment decisions across both energy and non-energy sectors. The annual energy-saving obligation rate rises in stages: 1.3% for 2024–25, 1.5% for 2026–27, and 1.9% for 2028–30. The public sector is required to cut energy consumption by 1.9% annually and to renovate 3% of public buildings each year across all levels of government. New requirements also cover monitoring the energy performance of data centers and requiring municipalities to prepare heating and cooling plans. Member states were required to transpose the directive into national law by May 11, 2025.

See this regulation's full analysis (timeline & business impact)

💡 The overview and schedule for the regulation related to this article can also be found on the Regulatory Gateway Database page.