Estimated time of reading: ~ 2 minutes

The European City Facility (EUCF), set up under the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation of the European Union,  launched a call for proposals to support municipalities, local authorities, their groupings and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities in Europe with tailor-made, fast and simplified financial support and related services to enable them to develop relevant investment concepts for the implementation of actions identified in their climate and energy action plans.

Municipalities and local authorities committed to significantly reduce their energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. However, when trying to implement their climate and energy action plans, they face financial constraints, and a lack of capacity to access the financing. The EUCF supports them to transform their climate and energy action plans into real investment in developing mature investment concepts.

In the form of EUR 60,000 lump sums the EUCF finances services and activities to support the development of investment concepts, such as feasibility studies, market analyses, stakeholder analyses, legal, economic and financial analyses, risk analyses and further supporting tasks. This will help to develop an initial step towards a fully-fledged business and financial plan and facilitate the subsequent mobilisation of local investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Sources of funding may come from the private sector, but also from other EU-funded instruments such as the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), various Project Development Assistance (PDA) facilities, such as the ELENA facility of the European Investment Bank, or various national investment platforms.

The EUCF is open to all municipalities/local authorities, their groupings, and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities from the EU Member States, EEA-EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and the United Kingdom. Applicants require a politically approved climate and energy plan. This includes SEAPs (Sustainable Energy Action Plans)/SECAPs (Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans), developed within the Covenant of Mayors initiative, or plans of similar ambition with climate and energy targets at least for the year 2020.

Moreover, applicants have to demonstrate political commitment to the development of the Investment Concept through a letter of support, signed by the Mayor or other relevant political representative.

The deadline for submitting your application is on the 17th of December 2021, 17:00 (Brussels time).

Official documentation can be found here

Written by: Margherita Genua

Submitted on: 15.10.2021