Technical assistance to deliver the economic and political capital of Recovery and Resilience Plans

Deploying technical assistance and building up administrative and logistical capacity is key to boost building renovation projects across Europe and pave the way for a green recovery.

In a letter addressed to the European Commission’s Recovery and Resilience Task Force, the European Alliance to Save Energy (EU-ASE) stressed the importance of strengthening technical assistance for energy efficiency renovations to deliver the economic and political capital of Recovery and Resilience Plans.

The letter says:

“With specific regard to building renovations, we notice that in the draft RRPs there is a general lack of focus on technical assistance, despite the central role it plays in removing the administrative, financial and other practical hurdles for ministries, cities, local authorities, businesses and households to renovate our common building stock.

Due to the specific nature of building renovation programmes and related financial and non-financial barriers that hinder their full deployment, we would suggest that at least 4% of funds allocated to building renovations are spent on technical assistance. For example, this would enable proactive support for public authorities to map out their buildings stock, prepare good long-term renovation strategies, and develop and aggregate renovation proposals5. In addition, these funds could be invested in education and training of workforce (upskilling and reskilling) as well as in information campaigns to increase citizens and businesses’ awareness about the multiple benefits that renovations bring in terms of cost-savings, comfort, improved living conditions and increased productivity.

RECOVER can play a decisive role at this stage of the RRP process by making sure Member States are aware of the importance of integrating horizontal technical assistance programmes in their plans. The clear rationale is that deploying technical assistance and building up administrative and logistical capacity is an enabler for ensuring that the benefits of a swift and green recovery are delivered and felt across countries, regions, cities and individual households.

The alternative is the very real risk of jeopardising the recovery funds’ economic and political capital and its multiple benefits for citizens, the clean energy transition and, ultimately, the European integration project.”

 

Read the full letter

 

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Considerations on the draft Recovery and Resilience Plans of Italy and Spain

The National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs) are a unique opportunity to boost the economy, safeguard and/or create good jobs and win the fight against climate change in the short and long term.

According to the available drafts, both Italy and Spain, two of the biggest beneficiaries of the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility, seem to be providing some positive signals for investors, consumers and other stakeholders by allocating significant financial means to boost energy efficient building renovations. µ

Still, we believe there is room for improvements with regards to the coherence of the plans with the National Energy and Climate Plans and the higher EU climate ambition for 2030. This paper contains the recommendations of the European Alliance to Save Energy (EU-ASE) on how to strengthen the energy efficiency component in both plans, as a driver for green recovery and resilience.

Considerations on Italy’s and Spain’s RRPs (English version)
Considerations on Italy’s RRP (Italian version)
Considerations on Spain’s RRP (Spanish version)

 

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EU-ASE at Citizens’ Energy Forum 2020

On 19 November EU-ASE president Monica Frassoni participated in a panel discussion on “How to finance the clean energy transition in order to maximise benefits to all citizens” in the framework of the 12th edition of the Citizens’ Energy Forum, hosted by the European Commission DG Energy.

This session focused on the significant investment needed to achieve climate neutrality and how the Green Deal is also a clear priority as part of the recovery plan. In particular, it aimed to identify high potential financing opportunities in sustainable energy projects, technologies and market solutions that bring direct benefit to citizens and their local areas while contributing to climate neutrality.

In her intervention, Monica Frassoni highlighted how investing in energy efficient building renovations can greatly benefit European citizens and local areas by reducing energy bills, improving health and air quality, while contributing to climate neutrality.

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