Abstract
The implementation of energy communities across Europe presents both a promising opportunity and a significant regulatory challenge. Although the EU has provided a robust legal foundation, this paper explores the critical barriers hindering energy community development, such as lack of secondary legislation, unclear definitions, and limited financial incentives and analyses how best practices from frontrunner countries can support replication strategies in less developed contexts. By applying a taxonomy-based assessment and drawing on experiences from selected countries, the study highlights the diversity in implementation approaches and the resulting need for adaptable solutions. The study concludes by proposing a set of replicability factors for a structured transferring best practices to accelerate the deployment of energy communities and support the EU's energy transition goals.