15 March 2018
The adoption yesterday in the European Parliament of the Olbrycht-Thomas Own-Initiative Report has set a positive tone for future negotiations on the EU’s post-2020 Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF), which has the potential to significantly boost investments in energy renovations across the EU.
The EP’s call for climate-related funding to be raised to 30% in the next 7-year budgetary period acknowledges the rising expectations from EU citizens to deliver a people-centric budget in line with the Paris Agreement and the Energy Efficiency First principle.
“The energy renovation of Europe’s leaky buildings is the sharpest arrow in the EU’s budget to simultaneously tackle some of citizens’ most pressing concerns around CO2 emissions, but also unemployment, energy poverty, poor health, and urban regeneration”, explained Adrian Joyce, Director of the Renovate Europe Campaign.
“The EP is clearly aware that earmarking for energy efficiency and especially for energy renovation must continue in the post-2020 MFF, if EU citizens are to reap the multiple benefits that flow from achieving a highly energy efficient nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) level building stock by 2050”.
The European Commission’s first proposal for the post-2020 MFF is expected in May, taking into account the EP’s report as well as responses received in the online public consultation earlier in March.
In its response to the Commission’s public consultation, Renovate Europe also suggested linking the EU budget better to Member State’s commitments in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).
Indeed, allowing MFF funding to be directly used to implement the EPBD’s National Long-term Renovation Strategies in Member States would be an effective means of demonstrating the tangible benefits that EU policies and funding can deliver to citizens on the ground.
Increasing energy renovation training opportunities for youth and SMEs in the next MFF, namely in the European Social Fund, will also be essential to support the establishment of the green economy and prepare our local workforce for tomorrow’s digitalized labour market.
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Read more about how Energy renovation could become one of the biggest success stories of the next EU budget.
Read Renovate Europe’s response to the European Commission’s Public Consultation on the post-2020 MFF
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