The pace of regulatory development is generally slower than that of technological innovation. This often results either in the emergence of genuine regulatory gaps or in the establishment of frameworks based on existing, not always adequate or outdated models, which may hinder the deployment and scaling‑up of innovation. This challenge also arises in the case of the development of the renewable hydrogen market.
One of the objectives of the NAHV project is to identify regulatory gaps and barriers that slow down the development of the hydrogen market, while also promoting the establishment of a dedicated “regulatory sandbox.” This expression refers to an experimental environment, limited in time and scope, in which operators can test their innovative technologies and business models even where the regulatory framework is not yet sufficiently developed or contains restrictive conditions, by allowing, where appropriate, temporary relaxation or adaptation of regulatory requirements. Such mechanisms can play a significant role in fostering alignment between regulation and technological developments, while generating valuable regulatory learning for competent authorities and institutions.
Precisely for the definition of this proposal, the NAHV institutional Partners have opened a dialogue with the respective Italian, Slovenian, and Croatian stakeholders active in the hydrogen sector, in order to understand their needs and gather insights from their regulatory experiences.
The Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region, the Croatian Ministry of Economy and the Slovenian Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy organized, in close coordination, a series of national Roundtables aimed at collecting relevant contributions for the development of the sandbox proposal.
The first Roundtable, addressed to Italian private stakeholders, was held in Trieste on 16th March in a hybrid format.
This was followed by a Roundtable organised in a hybrid format in Zagreb on 26th March, bringing together Croatian companies and national institutions responsible for developing the hydrogen economy.
On 2nd April the Slovenian roundtable took place online, with the participation of both national public and private organizations.
The process concluded with a second Italian institutional roundtable that the Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region promoted in Rome on 15th April with the participation of the Italian ministerial level and the national regulatory Authorities.
A total of 192 stakeholders from the three Countries were involved, including companies, research & innovation organisations, as well as public institutions and regulators, who contributed to enriching the range of topics addressed. The results collected will be processed by the institutional Partners to develop proposals for transnational regulatory sandboxes, to be submitted to policymakers and the relevant institutions.
You can find the presentation here: NAHV Regulatory Sandboxes Presentation