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The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Cohesion Funds (CF) and the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) can make a big difference for buildings renovation. But the Operational Programmes must be designed and implemented in a way that creates and sustains a renovation market for the longer term, beyond the “cliff-edge” end of the programming period.

We strongly urge Member States to consider the Key Recommendations on how to channel MFF funding effectively towards energy renovation in the Operational Programmes, namely by:

1. Ensuring coherence with EU long-term climate objectives
   • Avoid programmes funding single measures
   • Scale the aid according to quality and ambition of the renovation project
2. Attracting and leveraging private financing
   • Limit the use of grants
   • Favour lower support intensity
   • Modulate the level of the aid rate to increase the leverage of private funding
   • Encourage blended finance, combining Financial Instruments with grants
   • Establish continuous calls
3. Complementing and/or boosting national regulatory and funding initiatives already underway
   • Maximise coherence with the national ambitions on buildings
   • Facilitate MFF coordination with national funding schemes
   • Ensure better coherence/integration of programs for energy renovation with those on renewable energy in buildings
   • Streamline the administrative process at national level
4. Maximising Programme Implementation
   • Ensure sufficient allocation for Technical Assistance
   • Ensure MFF-supported training programmes
   • Complement the funding with an information campaign
   • Better tracking and data collection
   • Encourage digitalization

The buildings sector is a sector of enormous economic potential, creating local jobs and reducing citizens energy bills – all the while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and slashing Europe’s dependence on foreign imports.

Read our recommendations more in detail here.

Dear Minister,

At Monday’s Energy Council, your input will be decisive in reaching a General Approach on the Energy Efficiency Directive.  In my capacity as Director of the Renovate Europe Campaign, I urge you to consider the importance of a robust Article 6 on public buildings.

Citizens look to their governments for leadership and action. Renovation is a concrete measure that will deliver long-lasting, sustainable solutions to the energy, social and climate emergency we face.

Reducing the energy demand, and therefore the energy bills, of our public buildings is a crucial step in translating political discourse on slashing energy imports into immediate action.

Against an increasingly worrying backdrop of skyrocketing energy bills, it is no longer acceptable that Europe’s leaky buildings account for the largest share of final energy consumption at a high of 40%.

Public buildings must lead the way, as a means of preparing the market and raising awareness, but also in demonstrating a tangible contribution and commitment to real change.

We therefore call on you to ensure that the public sector leads by example with

• An agreement that 3% of public buildings owned by public bodies must be deeply renovated to become nearly zero energy buildings as soon as possible.
• Setting minimum performance standards for all segments of public bodies, including social housing and historic buildings.  This will be important in ensuring a just transition, taking into consideration some of the most vulnerable people in society, and will also take account of the technological advances developed to cater for the specificities of historic buildings.  Historic buildings can represent up to 30% of the building stock in some countries and already feature as important element in several Long-term Renovation Strategies and National Recovery Plans.

Reducing the energy waste in Europe’s buildings is at the forefront of citizen concerns.  Governments must set the tone and lead the way by taking action on public bodies in the Energy Efficiency Directive.

The urgent need for action could not be more clear.

Yours sincerely,

Adrian Joyce

Campaign Director

The Renovate Europe Campaign is happy to announce our endorsement of the Energy Cities campaign for “More local staff to achieve the climate transition”.

The signatories of the manifesto urge the national governments of EU Member States and the European Commission to:

• Finance the recruitment of municipal & local public bodies staff
• Make jobs more appealing & support local pooling of expertise
• Provide training & reallocation programmes to upskill municipal & related local public bodies staff
• Provide a framework enabling local governments to develop their own green budget, investments, & workforce

Discover more about it here.

Sign the manifesto here.