Representatives from some of Europe’s largest investors and private enterprises joined Europe’s leading policy makers and stakeholders at a half-day workshop on February 13, 2012 in Brussels to discuss “How to mobilise private sector finance for energy efficiency”.
Organised by European Alliance to Save Energy (EU-ASE) along with the Danish Presidency of the European Council and the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Building, this event marked the first time that the world of finance openly discussed the need for a robust regulatory framework for energy efficiency with some of Europe’s key policy makers and campaigners. The focus of the debate was on whether the current proposal for an Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) was the best vehicle to deliver this.
With over 100 experts from the world of finance, industry and policy, including an address from Phillip Lowe, Director General of the DG Energy of the European Commission, the discussion was enlightening, yet overall the message was clear: money matters and investors are ready to mobilize energy efficiency investments if they have certainty on their return of investment.