European Funds for local Climate Protection

Main funding opportunities at the European level are presented below. A more detailed version can be downloaded here (pdf, 50 KB).

European Energy Efficiency Fund (EEE-F)
Unspent funds of the European Energy Programme for Recovery (EEPR) have been allocated towards a new financial facility dedicated to projects in energy efficiency and renewable energies. The EEE-Fund offers a wide range of financial products such as senior and junior loans, guarantees or equity participation to local, regional and (where justified) national public authorities to promote sustainable energy investments. There is no formal application process, but the project partners should approach the Investment Manager Deutsche Bank with project details.
www.eeef.lu

Intelligent Energy Europe programme (IEE)
The IEE programme is part of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) of the European Commission. Priorities are on energy savings (SAVE), the use of new and renewable energy sources in the local production of electricity and heat (ALTENER), as well as on sustainable energy use in transport (STEER). The last priority called Integrated Initiatives refers to actions combining several of the specific fields. Some of these initiatives are especially designed for small and medium size municipalities.
www.ec.europa.eu/energy/intelligent

European Local Energy Assistance (ELENA)
The IEE programme also includes a specific fund targeted at offering technical assistance to urban areas called ELENA. It aims at supporting regional or local authorities in accelerating their investment programmes in the fields of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.
www.eib.org/products/technical_assistance/elena

LIFE +
The LIFE+ is an EU’s funding instrument directed exclusively for the environment. The European Commission launches one call for LIFE+ project proposals per year. Proposals must be eligible under one of the programme’s three components: LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity, LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance, and LIFE+ Information and Communication.
www.ec.europa.eu/environment/life

Transnational Cooperation: INTERREG IV B
The Community initiative INTERREG aims to stimulate cooperation between member states in the EU at different levels and is financed under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). INTERREG IV B (2007-2013) is composed of 13 programmes (zones) supporting transnational cooperation. Each programme defines its own priorities, eligible actions, beneficiaries, budget, co-financing rates etc.

Interregional Cooperation: INTERREG IV C
The programme is composed of two programme priorities: innovation & the knowledge economy, and environment & risk prevention. Interregional project activities like development and testing of tools and methodologies improving local and regional policies, networking with the local actors, awareness raising and education campaigns are supported by the programme.
http://i4c.eu

URBACT II programme
As part of Europe’s Cohesion policy, the URBACT II programme brings together actors at local and regional level to exchange experience and to facilitate learning on sustainable urban development. Almost 80% of the total budget is contributed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
www.urbact.eu

JESSICA
Joint European Support for Sustainable Investment in City Areas (JESSICA) has been created in order to promote sustainable investment, growth and jobs in Europe's urban areas. These funds could be targeted specifically at projects such as energy efficiency improvements or urban infrastructure, including transport, water/waste water and energy.
www.eib.org/projects/publications/jessica