While all permitting processes present challenges, environmental permitting is widely recognized as the most complex and time-consuming due to its technical demands, regulatory fragmentation, and the high stakes of environmental protection. Across Europe and the United States, both public authorities and project developers face significant delays in the rollout of a wide variety of projects that may have environmental impact. Environmental assessments and permitting typically take between 2 to 8 years, severely hindering the rapid implementation of for instance renewable energy infrastructure.
This whitepaper argues that digitizing bureaucratic processes, combined with embedded AI, offers an effective and responsible approach to reducing processing times without compromising quality or regulatory compliance. Based on documented experiences from Denmark, we present a solution model that can be transferred and adapted to the needs of other public authorities.
