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Compare data center regulation

Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Italy, measure by measure. EU-wide rules are listed once. National and regional or local rules are shown side by side, each with its status, effective date and source.

MeasuresGreeceBulgariaCyprusItaly
EU-wide / supranational8888
National0002
Regional / local0002
Total88812
Coverage last reviewednot yet re-reviewednot yet re-reviewednot yet re-reviewed2026-09-24

Up to 7 countries at a time. A zero means no measure was found in this compilation, not that none exists.

What was checked, per country
  • Italy (2026-09-24): National single-authorisation procedure (DL 21/2026 art. 8) checked on Normattiva; enabling bill C.1928/S.1821 on Camera/Senato. Lombardy law (May 2026) and 2024 guidelines from the regional news agency, law number and BURL publication not verified. No EED transposition decree or ARERA data-centre rule confirmed.

EU-wide / supranational (shared)

These apply to all selected EU countries (Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Italy).

MeasureType · categoryStatusEffectiveApplies toSource
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1364: common EU data-centre rating scheme (phase 1)
Mandates reporting of installed IT power, energy, PUE, ERF/waste-heat, WUE and renewable share via the European DC database; first round 15 Sep 2024, then annual.
Fixes the exact KPIs and data a ≥500 kW site must submit to the European database each year (first round 15 Sep 2024). It sets no performance threshold.
regulation · energy efficiencyIn force2024All selected EU countriessource
Energy Efficiency Directive (EU) 2023/1791: data centre monitoring & reporting (Art. 12)
DCs >=500 kW must annually report energy, power/water use, PUE, waste-heat reuse and renewable share. In force 10 Oct 2023; transposition by 11 Oct 2025.
Sites with ≥500 kW of installed IT power must report energy use, PUE, water, waste-heat reuse and renewable share every year to the European data-centre database. A reporting duty, with no EU-level PUE ceiling.
directive · energy efficiencyIn force2023All selected EU countriessource
Ecodesign Regulation (EU) 2019/424: servers & data storage
Minimum PSU efficiency/power factor, idle-power limits, active-state efficiency, plus material-efficiency and info requirements (secure erase, firmware updates, dismantling).
Applies to the servers and storage products installed, not to the building: equipment sold in the EU must meet PSU-efficiency, idle-power and material-efficiency requirements.
ecodesign · energy efficiencyIn force2019All selected EU countriessource
Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact (CNDCP)
Targets: PUE 1.3 (cool)/1.4 (warm) by 2025/2030; 75% renewable/CFE by 2025 & 100% by 2030; WUE and heat-reuse assessment; server circularity.
Voluntary: binds only operators that sign it to PUE (1.3/1.4), renewable-power, water and heat-reuse targets. No legal obligation on non-signatories.
self-regulatory · energy efficiencyVoluntary commitment2021All selected EU countriessource
F-Gas Regulation (EU) 2024/573
HFC quota phase-down, bans/use-restrictions on high-GWP F-gases in refrigeration/AC, leak checks, recovery and reporting, pushing DCs to low-GWP/natural refrigerants.
Phases down high-GWP refrigerants used in cooling. Drives chiller/refrigerant choices and retrofit of existing plant.
regulation · refrigerantsIn force2024All selected EU countriessource
Renewable Energy Directive III (RED III) 2023/2413
Higher renewable shares, faster permitting, heating & cooling sector targets and district-heating integration that can value DC waste heat.
Sets binding national renewable targets for member states, not duties on an individual site; indirectly eases PPAs, permitting and district-heating outlets for waste heat.
directive · renewableIn force2023All selected EU countriessource
EU Taxonomy Regulation (EU) 2020/852
CSRD companies report Taxonomy-aligned turnover/capex/opex; DC alignment hinges on energy-efficiency criteria (EU Code of Conduct/CEN-CENELEC).
No direct duty on the site: operators that report under CSRD disclose how much of their activity is taxonomy-aligned, which for data centres hinges on following the EU Code of Conduct on data-centre energy efficiency. Matters mainly for green financing.
regulation · sustainability reportingIn force2020All selected EU countriessource
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) 2022/2464
Mandatory assured disclosure of climate, energy, water, emissions, resource-use and governance; scope narrowed by 2025 Omnibus/'Stop-the-clock'.
Requires the operator to disclose energy / water / carbon data. A compliance and transparency burden rather than an operating limit.
reporting · sustainability reportingPhased2024All selected EU countriessource

National

Greece0

No national measures compiled.

Bulgaria0

No national measures compiled.

Cyprus0

No national measures compiled.

Italy2
DL 21/2026 art. 8 – single authorisation procedure for data centres (converted by L. 49/2026)
regulationzoning
In force · effective 2026

Maximum 10 months from the completeness check, extendable once by at most 3 months in exceptional cases; EIA deadlines halved; one application covers AIA, EIA, landscape, water, emissions and planning consents. In force 21 Feb 2026; converted with amendments by L. 10 April 2026 n. 49 (text in force from 19 Apr 2026).

A data centre and its grid connection get one combined permit from the integrated-environmental-permit (AIA) authority within at most 10 months, with environmental-impact deadlines halved.

Governo / MASE; regional/provincial AIA authorities · source
Data-centre enabling bill (DDL delega sui centri di elaborazione dati, C.1928 → S.1821)
regulationdigital policy
Proposed · effective 2026

Legislative decrees within 6 months of entry into force; principles include simplified EIA/AIA, derogations from urban-planning rules, energy self-generation, waste-heat recovery via district heating and contributions to host municipalities. Senate: in committee (last update 23 Jun 2026).

If enacted, the Government would have 6 months to adopt decrees giving data centres simplified EIA/AIA procedures, derogations from local planning rules and support for on-site generation and waste-heat reuse in district heating.

Parlamento (Camera dei deputati / Senato) · source

Regional / local

Greece0

No regional / local measures compiled.

Bulgaria0

No regional / local measures compiled.

Cyprus0

No regional / local measures compiled.

Italy2
Lombardy regional law on the opening of new data centres (approved May 2026)
Regional: Lombardiaplanningzoning
Adopted (publication not verified) · effective 2026

Siting priority for disused/brownfield areas; high-efficiency cooling and reduced drinking-water use; waste-heat recovery via district heating; environmental and territorial compensation for municipalities; uniform procedures with fixed timelines. Law number, thresholds and BURL publication not verified.

Projects in Lombardy are steered to brownfield or disused land, expected to use efficient, low-drinking-water cooling and district-heat reuse, and must fund environmental and territorial compensation for host municipalities.

Regione Lombardia (Consiglio regionale) · source
Lombardy data-centre siting guidelines for local authorities (Giunta, June 2024)
Regional: Lombardiaplanningzoning
In force · effective 2024

Non-binding guidelines: priority to disused, brownfield or regeneration areas; energy autonomy; landscape and environmental protection. DGR number not found.

Municipalities assessing a data-centre application follow regional guidance favouring disused, brownfield or regeneration sites and energy self-sufficiency; non-binding, but it shapes early site selection.

Regione Lombardia (Giunta) · source

Research compilation, not legal advice. Re-check each measure's status with the cited authority. Some scope and status labels have been corrected from the source compilation (for example, municipal rules that were tagged national, and voluntary pacts that were shown as in force).