Cohesion Policy support for
Sustainable Energy
Energy efficiency investments in buildings
European Roundtable on Financing Energy Efficiency in
European buildings
Brussels
16 November 2010
Maud SKÄRINGER
European Commission
Directorate-General for Regional Policy
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Solidarity in practice:
The EU Cohesion Policy
2007-2013: 347 billion euro invested for less well-off regions or
citizens in infrastructure, business, environment and training of
workers
4 Regional Fund
4 Social Fund
4 Cohesion fund
Convergence objective:
regions with GDP per
capita under 75% of the
EU average. 81.5% of the
funds are spent on this
objective.
Regional competitiveness
and employment objective.
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Cohesion Policy & Sustainable Growth
€ 105 billion in total
30% of total Cohesion
Policy funds 2007-2013
3 times more than in 20002006 (€ 37 billion)
Win-win policy:
- Positions EU
as lead market
in green
technologies
- Creates new
and sustainable
jobs in local
economies
(growth)
- Improves and
protects the
environment
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Cohesion Policy allocations to
Energy Sector
Energy efficiency, cogeneration, energy
management
39%
Electricity (TEN-E)
Electricity
3%
Natural gas
3%
6%
Natural gas (TEN-E)
3%
Petroleum products
2%
Wind
7%
Solar
10%
Hydroelectric, geothermal
and other
10%
Biomass
17%
2007-13 Total = € 10.8 billion (3.1 % of total)
€ 9.0 billion sustainable energy. € 1.8 billion traditional energies & interconnectors. 4
Allocations to Energy Sector as % of
total allocations per MS 2007-2013
7%
6%
5%
RES
EE
Traditional Energy
TEN-E
4%
3%
2%
1%
Source: Infoview 2009
DK
PT
CY
BE
ES
HU
SK
DE
EE
FI
LV
AU
NL
UK
EL
PL
RO
BG
SL
SE
M
T
FR
LU
EU
IE
CZ
IT
LT
0%
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Energy Efficiency in the “Recovery Package”
• Amendment to ERDF regulation
(May 2009)
• Up to 4% of the national ERDF
allocation can go to energy efficiency
and renewable energy in housing,
potentially € 8 billion
• Member States define eligible
categories of existing housing, to
support social cohesion
• Further regulatory amendment to
facilitate the use of innovative financial
instruments in this area (June 2010)
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Why focus on Sustainable Energy
in Buildings?
• Building sector, a win-win opportunity:
– Regional development / social cohesion / energy savings
• creating new and sustainable jobs;
• building local and regional capacities,
• creating local opportunities for R&D and innovation;
• lowering energy consumption and improving security of
energy supply;
• reducing energy costs and alleviating energy poverty;
• improving the quality of homes,
• reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the local
environment.
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Green energy for the hospital of Szeged
(HU)
• Old steam boilers &
external pipe system
replaced
• Computer controlled
energy systems
• 800 m² of solar
panels
• New system = 20%
energy saving
8
Enlarging the scope of Financial
Engineering interventions
 June 2010 – Amendment of Reg (EC) 1083/2006:
Article 44 includes a new paragraph foreseeing support to
Financial Engineering Instruments for Energy Efficiency and
the use of Renewable Energy in buildings, including existing
housing
 Financial engineering interventions related to energy
efficiency improvements and the use of renewable energy in
existing housing are no longer limited to urban areas (i.e.
projects included in an integrated plan for sustainable urban
development) and can be supported anywhere throughout the
27 Member States
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Key Advantages of Financial
Engineering
• Sustainability by recycling funds over the longterm
• Leverage effect for EU Structural Funds which can
be combined with private capital
• Stronger incentives towards better performance
• New sources of expertise and know-how
• Development and modernisation of financial
markets
• Interesting examples from Estonia and Lithuania
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Strategic Report 2010 – Progress Energy
priorities
2,50
100%
90%
2,00
80%
70%
1,50
60%
50%
1,00
40%
30%
0,50
20%
10%
0,00
0%
PL
IT
CZ GR RO FR DE
LT ES
€ bn
HU UK
PT BG SK
SI
LV
EE EU26
% project selected
Codes 33-43: € 10,8 bn available
Average project selection 13,2% = 1,4 bn € (end September 2009)
Good progress – CZ, LT
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Current situation
Further opportunities
• Substantial funds still available during 20072013 period: By autumn 2009, across the EU
13% project selection rate in the area of
energy vs 27% on average for Cohesion
Policy as a whole
• Member States encouraged to seize the new
opportunities for energy efficiency and
renewable energy investments in buildings,
including the new possibilities for the use of
financial engineering instruments
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More information / Applying for funding
Cohesion Policy Project Examples:
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/projects/stories/index_en.cfm
Policy Learning Database:
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/cooperation/interregional/ecochange/studies_en.cfm
?nmenu=5
Regions for Economic Change Conference May 2010 Energy efficiency
workshop (2A):
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/conferences/sustainablegrowth/programme_en.cfm?nmenu=4
List of Cohesion Policy funds Managing Authorities:
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/manage/authority/authority_en.cfm
Practical Guide to EU funding opportunities for Research and Innovation:
http://cordis.europa.eu/eu-funding-guide/home_en.html
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