Slovenia, Austria, Italy, Croatia and Hungary, 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.
Measures
Slovenia
Austria
Italy
Croatia
Hungary
EU-wide / supranational
8
8
8
8
8
National
0
1
2
0
0
Regional / local
0
6
2
0
0
Total
8
15
12
8
8
Coverage last reviewed
not yet re-reviewed
2026-09-24
2026-09-24
not yet re-reviewed
not yet re-reviewed
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
Austria (2026-09-24): Federal and state law searched via the RIS open-data API for 'Rechenzentren': federal EEffG §72a disclosure, Lower Austria zoning, and waste-heat duties in Vienna, Upper Austria, Burgenland, Tyrol and Vorarlberg added. Other states (Styria, Carinthia, Salzburg) not confirmed.
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 (Slovenia, Austria, Italy, Croatia and Hungary).
Measure
Type · category
Status
Effective
Applies to
Source
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bundes-Energieeffizienzgesetz §72a – public KPI disclosure by data centres ≥500 kW
reportingsustainability reporting
In force · effective 2024
≥500 kW installed IT power; first by 15 May 2024, then yearly by 15 May; defence and civil-protection data centres exempt; trade secrets excluded.
Owners and operators of data centres with ≥500 kW installed IT power must publish, on their own website and every year by 15 May, their area, power, data traffic and KPIs on energy, temperature setpoints, waste-heat use, water use and renewables.
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
Croatia0
No national measures compiled.
Hungary0
No national measures compiled.
Regional / local
Slovenia0
No regional / local measures compiled.
Austria6
NÖ Raumordnungsgesetz 2014 §§11c, 18c – dedicated 'Bauland-Sondergebiet-Rechenzentrum' zoning and state site ordinances
Regional: Lower Austria (Niederösterreich)planningzoningin friction index
In force · effective 2026
>0.5 ha only in the special zone; >3 ha only where a §11c state ordinance exists (it lapses if not zoned within 5 years, extendable by up to 3); 500 m aggregation; power supply and waste-heat use must be considered. In force 9 Jun 2026 (LGBl. 38/2026).
In Lower Austria, a data centre over 0.5 ha can only be built on land zoned 'Sondergebiet-Rechenzentrum'. Zoning over 3 ha needs a prior state site ordinance, which must secure power supply and consider waste-heat use. Facilities within 500 m of each other count together.
WERUG 2020 §10 – waste-heat use obligation for data centres >1 MW
Regional: Viennaregulationheat reusein friction index
In force · effective 2026
Nominal total energy input >1 MW; exemption only via a §7 CBA showing technical or economic infeasibility. Current version in force 17 Jul 2026 (LGBl. 28/2026).
Existing Vienna data centres over 1 MW must use their waste heat or other heat recovery, unless a cost-benefit analysis shows it is not feasible. Operators can apply for a formal finding that no obligation applies.
Oö. Energieeffizienzgesetz §§11-12 – data-centre waste-heat use and cost-benefit analysis
Regional: Upper Austria (Oberösterreich)regulationheat reusein friction index
In force · effective 2026
>1 MW nominal total energy input; CBA when new or substantially modernised. In force 1 Apr 2026 (LGBl. 29/2026).
Data centres over 1 MW in Upper Austria must use their waste heat unless a cost-benefit analysis shows it is infeasible. The CBA is mandatory for new or substantially modernised data centres.
Burgenländisches Energieeffizienzgesetz §§11-12 – data-centre waste-heat use and cost-benefit analysis
Regional: Burgenlandregulationheat reusein friction index
In force · effective 2025
>1 MW nominal total energy input. In force 30 Dec 2025 (LGBl. 105/2025).
Data centres over 1 MW in Burgenland must use their waste heat unless a cost-benefit analysis proves it infeasible. The CBA is required when new or substantially modernised.
Tiroler Energieeffizienzgesetz §17 – Waste-heat cost-benefit analysis for data centres >1 MW
Regional: Tyrol (Tirol)regulationheat reusein friction index
In force · effective 2026
Nominal total energy input >1 MW; new builds and substantial modernisation. In force 31 Mar 2026.
A new or substantially modernised Tyrolean data centre over 1 MW must assess waste-heat use and district-heating/cooling connection in a cost-benefit analysis that also covers heat-capturing cooling designs.
Betreiberpflichtengesetz §12 – Waste-heat assessment for data centres >1 MW
Regional: Vorarlbergregulationheat reusein friction index
In force · effective 2026
Nominal total energy input >1 MW; new builds or substantial modernisation. Version in force from 18 Sep 2026.
Building or substantially modernising a Vorarlberg data centre over 1 MW requires an assessment of waste-heat use and district-heating/cooling connection, including heat-capturing cooling solutions.
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.
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.
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).