DG ENER

Energy in Europe

Energy policy directly affects everyone in Europe. Whatever age we are, and whatever activities we undertake, energy plays a fundamental role in today’s world. The issues and challenges connected to this policy require action at European level; no single national government can address them successfully alone. By working in concert, European Union Member States and European industry can develop energy sectors which best meet the needs of citizens and our economy, whilst minimising damage to our environment.

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy manages work in this area.

IEE

Intelligent Energy Europe
There are many untapped opportunities to save energy and encourage the use of renewable energy sources in Europe, but market conditions do not always help.

The Intelligent Energy - Europe programme is the EU's tool for funding action to improve these conditions and move us towards a more energy intelligent Europe.

IEE Library

The aim of the e-library is to bring together in one place a range of tools and guidebooks on energy efficiency, renewable energy applications and sustainable mobility.
It includes items funded under the Intelligent Energy-Europe (IEE) programme and a selection of instruments picked from over 2,500 EU funded projects (under Altener and Save, CIVITAS, Structural and regional funds, LIFE, RTD 2002-2006 and Phare). In addition, nationally and regionally funded tools and guidebooks have been included.
By providing a thematic collection and consolidation of existing material in selected programme areas, the e-library helps to eliminate intensive initial project phases and removes the need to redevelop certain tools and guidebooks. It also ensures that information remains accessible beyond the legal duration of project contracts.

ManagEnergy

ManagEnergy is an initiative of the European Commission Directorate-General for Energy, which aims to support the work of actors working on energy efficiency and renewable energies at the local and regional level. The main tools are training, workshops and online events. Additionally information is provided on case studies, good practice, European legislation and programmes.

This website includes a partner search system with some 4000 organisations, including 380 energy agencies, which can provide valuable expertise and partnerships on energy activities at local and regional levels. You are most welcome to register for the ManagEnergy Initiative including the monthly newsletter.

ManagEnergy also offers free internet broadcast facilities including more than 1000 individual video presentations, speeches and interviews on topical energy matters.

The KidsCorner section provides educational resources for children (under 11), young adults (12-16) and their teachers in 27 languages

Climate Action

EU ACTION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

Global warming is one of the biggest challenges facing the world today. Unless we act quickly to change the way we use and produce energy, the damage could be irreversible.
The EU has set three key targets which it hopes will put Europe on the right track - towards a sustainable future.
Find more on this website.

Concerto Initiative

“The CONCERTO initiative, launched by the European Commission , is a Europe wide initiative proactively addressing the challenges of creating a more sustainable future for Europe’s energy needs.
Today, there are a total of 45 communities in 18 projects, each working to deliver the highest possible level of self-supply of energy.
CONCERTO is part of the framework research programme supervised by the Directorate-General for Energy of the European Commission.

CIVITAS Initiative

The CIVITAS Initiative helps cities to achieve a more sustainable, clean and energy efficient urban transport system by implementing and evaluating an ambitious, integrated set of technology and policy based measures.

Build-up Initiative

The European Portal for Energy Efficiency in Buildings

BUILD UP is a new environment for building professionals, local authorities and building occupants willing to share their experience on how to cut energy consumption in buildings. Diversity is a major strength of the EU and BUILD UP will promote the exchange of all the best practices, tools and technologies available across Europe for an effective implementation of energy-saving measures in buildings. When it comes to climate change and security of energy supply, there is no easy fix. It is only by working together that we will achieve a real impact.

ELTIS

European Local Transport Information Service

Eltis is an initiative of the European Commission's Directorate General for Mobility and Transport. The project is led by an international team of transport related organisations.

The aim of ELTIS is to provide information and support a practical transfer of knowledge and exchange of experience in the field of urban and regional transport in Europe.

DG REGIO

Directorate General for Regional Policy

The mission of the Directorate General for Regional Policy is to strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion by reducing disparities between the levels of development of regions and countries of the European Union. In this way the policy contributes positively to the overall economic performance of the EU.

URBACT

European Programme for Urban Sustainable Development

URBACT is a European Programme, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which aims to foster the exchange of experience among European cities and the capitalisation-dissemination of knowledge on all issues related to sustainable urban development.

INTERREG IV C

The INTERREG IVC Programme is part of the European Territorial Cooperation Objective of the Structural Fund policies for the period 2007-2013. It aims, by means of interregional cooperation, to improve the effectiveness of regional development policies and contribute to economic modernisation and increased competitiveness of Europe, by:

* Enabling local and regional actors across the EU to exchange their experiences and knowledge;
* Matching regions less experienced in a certain policy field with more advanced regions;
* Ensuring the transfer of good practices into Structural Funds mainstream programmes.

DG INFSO

"DG Information Society & Media pursues an integrated approach to achieving the Information Society, encompassing an evolving regulatory environment which emphasises competition and lets the market decide on technology; a world-class research programme which pools Europe's resources for world leadership; and a range of programmes designed to promote wider use , demonstrate innovative technologies and ensure that the benefits are felt by all".

ICT PSP

Ensuring the best use and uptake of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by EU citizens, businesses and administrations is one the key objectives of the i2010 strategic framework. The ICT Policy Support Programme (ICT PSP) under the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP) aims at stimulating innovation and competitiveness through the wider uptake and best use of ICT by citizens, governments and businesses, particularly Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. The approach is based on leveraging innovation in response to growing societal demands.

EUROPAID

External cooperation programmes

The European Union, composed of the Member States and the European Commission, is the world’s biggest aid donor. The Commission’s EuropeAid co-operation office manages EU external aid programmes and ensures that development assistance is delivered worldwide.

EuropeAid's main mission is to implement the Commission’s external aid instruments, both those funded by the Union’s budget and the European Development Fund. The ‘Who's who’ section will tell you how EuropeAid is organised.

DG ENV

The Directorate-General for the Environment is one of the more than 40 Directorates-General and services that make up the European Commission. Commonly referred to as DG Environment, the objective of the Directorate-General is to protect, preserve and improve the environment for present and future generations. To achieve this it proposes policies that ensure a high level of environmental protection in the European Union and that preserve the quality of life of EU citizens. The four priorities of the DG for the years 2002 to 2012 are climate change; nature and biodiversity; environment, health and quality of life; and natural resources and waste.

EU Green Capital

Europe is now an essentially urban society, with four out of five Europeans living in towns and cities. Most of the environmental challenges facing our society originate from urban areas, but it is also these urban areas that bring together the commitment and innovation needed to resolve them.

Commission recognises local efforts
The European Commission has long recognised the important role that local authorities play in improving the environment, and their high level of commitment to genuine progress. The European Green Capital Award has been conceived as an initiative to promote and reward these efforts.

EUKN

The European Urban Knowledge Network (EUKN) shares knowledge and experience on tackling urban issues. Seventeen EU Member States, EUROCITIES, the URBACT Programme and the European Commission participate in this European initiative. The EUKN Secretariat is housed at Nicis Institute in The Hague.

FP 7

The 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological development is a key tool to respond to Europe's needs in terms of jobs and competitiveness, and to maintain leadership in the global knowledge economy. With a € 50 billion budget, it will last for seven years from 2007 until 2013.

JRC

The Joint Research Centre is a research based policy support organisation and an integral part of the European Commission. The JRC is providing the scientific advice and technical know-how to support a wide range of EU policies. Our status as a Commission service, which guarantees our independence from private or national interests, is crucial for pursuing our mission.

EUR LEX

Summary of EU legistlation on Energy Efficiency.

CoR

The Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the political assembly that provides local and regional authorities with a voice at the heart of the European Union.

Established in 1994, the CoR was set up to address two main issues. Firstly, about three quarters of EU legislation is implemented at local or regional level, so it makes sense for local and regional representatives to have a say in the development of new EU laws. Secondly, there were concerns that the public was being left behind as the EU steamed ahead. Involving the elected level of government closest to the citizens was one way of closing the gap.

EIB

The European Investment Bank was created by the Treaty of Rome in 1958 as the long-term lending bank of the European Union.

The task of the Bank is to contribute towards the integration, balanced development and economic and social cohesion of the EU Member States.

The EIB raises substantial volumes of funds on the capital markets which it lends on favourable terms to projects furthering EU policy objectives. The EIB continuously adapts its activity to developments in EU policies.

EU Mobility Week

Mobility Week 2009

From 16 to 22 September 2009 the European cities and towns will have the opportunity to participate to the most widespread event on sustainable mobility, the European Mobility Week.

A full week of events dedicated to sustainable mobility will be organised in more than 2000 cities and towns.

Why such a campaign?
Such an undertaking arose from a finding: Europeans are very worried about pollution and urban mobility. In town, many people complain of a poor quality of life: air pollution, noise pollution, overcrowding, etc. And yet, the number of cars is increasing...

SEEC

Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign

A European Campaign to change the landscape of energy: Sustainable Energy Europe is a European Commission initiative in the framework of the Intelligent Energy - Europe Programme, which will contribute to achieve the European Union's energy policy targets within the fields of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, clean transport and alternative fuels.

ICT4EE

High Level Event on ICT for Energy Efficiency

Organised by the European Commission's Information Society and Media Directorate-General, in cooperation with the Czech Presidency of the European Union
ICT enabling Energy Efficiency.

Open Days

In the space of just six years the OPEN DAYS have become a key event at which cities and regions have provided practical evidence of their capacity for creating growth and jobs, implementing European Union cohesion policy in such a way as to achieve the best results.

Conceived and developed by the EU Committee of the Regions and the European Commission Directorate-General for Regional Policy the OPEN DAYS 2009 will be held between 5 and 8 October 2009 in Brussels.

Green Week

The biggest annual conference on European environment policy turns the spotlight this year on the multi-faceted challenges of climate change.

* What are the prospects for reaching a new global deal to control climate change at the crucial Copenhagen conference in December?
* How can we best 'climate-proof' our economies against the impacts of present and future climate change?
* How can we create a carbon-free society by 2050?
* How can we ensure action to address climate change best serves conservation of the ecosystems that support life on Earth?

CEMR

Council of European Municipalities and Regions
The Council of European Municipalities was founded in Geneva in 1951 by a group of European mayors; later, it opened its ranks to the regions and became the Council of European Municipalities and Regions.

Today, it is the largest organisation of local and regional government in Europe; its members are over 50 national associations of towns, municipalities and regions from 37 countries. Together these associations represent some 100,000 local and regional authorities.

Climate Alliance

The Climate Alliance of European Cities with the Indigenous Rainforest Peoples / Alianza del Clima e. V. is Europe's largest city network for climate protection and aims for the preservation of the global climate.

C40 Cities

C40 is a group of the world's largest cities committed to tackling climate change. On this website you will find news and updates on current C40 programmes, information about each of the cities involved, and links to useful documents.

Energie Cités

Energie-Cités is the association of European local authorities promoting local sustainable energy policies.

EUROCITIES

EUROCITIES is the network of major European cities. Founded in 1986, the network brings together the local governments of more than 130 large cities in over 30 European countries. EUROCITIES provides a platform for its member cities to share knowledge and ideas, to exchange experiences, to analyse common problems and develop innovative solutions, through a wide range of Forums, Working Groups, Projects, activities and events.

FEDARENE

FEDARENE is the premier European network of regional and local organisations which implement, co-ordinate and facilitate energy and environment policies. Regional and local agencies, ministries and departments working in these fields, are represented in FEDARENE.

ICLEI

ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability is an international association of local governments as well as national and regional local government organizations that have made a commitment to sustainable development.

METREX

METREX, the Network of European Metropolitan Regions and Areas, provides a platform for the exchange of knowledge, expertise and experience on metropolitan affairs, and joint action on issues of common interest. The Network has members from some 50 metropolitan regions and areas and partners in many others.

LG Climate Roadmap

Leading local government associations world-wide, representing communities around the globe, are driving the Local Government Climate Roadmap, a process started in December 2007, during COP 13, to advocate for a strong and comprehensive post-2012 global climate agreement, which will be hopefully adopted during COP 15 in Copenhagen, December 2009.

ESCT Campaign

The Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign seeks to meet the mandate established for the local level in Chapter 28 of the Agenda 21 document, aiming to translate to the European level the outcomes of the Rio World Summit 1992.

Cities for Climate Protection