Renovate Europe Day 2012, “Stimulating Jobs and Growth in Europe”, explored the wide-ranging benefits of investing in the energy efficient renovation of the building stock, drawing on practical experience at local, regional and national level and emphasising the links with the EU Cohesion Policy and Growth Agenda.
Renovating the existing EU building stock is a real economic opportunity for Europe. It is a revenue-generating activity which contributes to urban renewal, strengthens social cohesion, boosts economic growth by creating local jobs that cannot be exported (up to 19 jobs for every €1 million invested), and leads to high public revenues (up to €5 of additional budget revenue for every €1 of public funds invested).
Agenda
08:30
Registration and coffee
09:00
Welcome and presentation of the Renovate Europe Campaign
Adrian Joyce, Renovate Europe Campaign Director (slides)
Opening addresses
- Energy efficiency, regional policy and growth: Günther Oettinger, EU Commissioner for Energy (video)
- Taking up the renovation challenge at the national level: Ivan Vrdoljak, Croatian Minister for Construction and Spatial Planning (slides)
- The Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), addressing the existing building stock with a new ambition guiding political and investment choices: Dr Peter Liese, MEP (DE-EPP), Rapporteur for the Opinion of the ENVI Committee on the EED
09:40
Session I: energy efficient renovation – a stimulus for growth
Moderator: Adrian Joyce, Renovate Europe Campaign Director
- Presentation of the Renovate Europe study on the ancillary economic benefits of energy efficiency in buildings to national budgets: Sigurd Naess-Schmidt, Partner, Copenhagen Economics (slides)
- Renovation as a driver of sustainable growth, local and regional experiences: Eckart Würzner, Mayor of Heidelberg, Germany and President of Energy Cities (slides); Adam Szolyak, European Commission, responsible for the Covenant of Mayors (slides); Christiane Egger, Deputy Manager of O.Ö. Energiesparverband, Austria (slides)
10:50
Coffee break
11:20
Session II: funding and investment for energy efficiency in buildings
Moderator: Adrian Joyce, Renovate Europe Campaign Director
Investment opportunities for energy efficient renovations arising from the Cohesion Policy, the Energy Efficiency Directive and the private sector:
- Johannes Hahn, EU Commissioner for Regional Policy (video)
- Marie Donnelly, Director, DG Energy, European Commission
- Stjohn O’Connor, Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Ireland (slides)
- Tatiana Bosteels, Hermes Real Estate, Chair of the IIGCC property working group
- Sean McLoughlin, Associate Director, Clean Energy & Technology Research, HSBC (slides)
12:20
Conclusions
Owen Lewis, former CEO of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and Emeritus Professor of UCD Dublin
12:30
End of the conference and lunch for participants
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