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Web Based FAQ

Municipalities, local authorities and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities play a key role in Europe’s transition towards sustainable energy. They have tremendous potential to build comprehensive sustainable energy investment programmes and can encourage the pooling of smaller projects into larger investment portfolios to mobilise the significant financial resources required for the energy transition.

Although the potential is immense, there are fundamental barriers for sustainable energy investments, such as:

  • the lack of financial and legal capacity of municipalities/ local authorities to transform their long-term energy and climate strategies into appropriate investment concepts;
  • the lack of aggregation of fragmented smaller projects and thus lack of attractiveness of those for the financial sector.

In many cases, municipalities/ local authorities lack resources and internal capacities to develop credible, robust and sufficiently mature investment concepts that can mobilise financing for the realisation of their sustainable energy projects. These concepts are, however, essential for addressing potential investors and accessing different sources of funding.

In this context, the European City Facility (EUCF), continued under the LIFE Programme of the European Union, provides tailor-made, rapid and simplified financial support (grants of EUR 60,000) and capacity building services to municipalities, local authorities, their groupings and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities in Europe in order to enable them to develop sound investment concepts andmobilise finance in the field of sustainable energy.

The investment concepts developed by EUCF beneficiaries will represent an important step towards a fully-fledged business and financial plan and in this way facilitate the subsequent mobilisation of investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Sources of funding for the investment projects may vary, coming 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 European Local Energy Assistance (ELENA) facility of the European Investment Bank (EIB), or other different national and local investment platforms.

The overarching objective of the EUCF is to provide financial and technical support to municipalities/local authorities, their groupings and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities in order to accelerate the implementation of their ambitious sustainable energy and climate plans. Building on the success and the lessons learned in the first four calls for applications, the EUCF aims for an appropriate follow-up and upscale of its support, by continuing to be relevant to municipalities, local authorities and local public entities in structuring and increasing the maturity of their investment projects and supporting the European goals of increasing investments in sustainable energy.

The specific objectives of the EUCF include:

  • To design, plan and manage three calls for applications for the selection of more than 200 municipalities/local authorities, their groupings or local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities, which will be provided with financial support and services, triggering more than 125 million EUR of investment in sustainable energy, with focus on energy efficiency.
  • To offer services at national/regional level to support cities and municipalities by setting and managing a network of Country Experts and national hubs and raising capacity of internal municipal staff with the organisation of capacity building sessions.
  • To mobilise a network of private and public investors in all EU Member States to facilitate the market uptake of the investment concepts developed within the EUCF.
  • To promote and disseminate LIFE EUCF results in more than 10 000 municipalities and local authorities fostering replication and exploitation by developing standardised products and processes.

Municipalities and local authorities, groupings of municipalities/local authorities as well as local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities located entirely in the European Union Member States (EU-27), in Iceland or Ukraine are eligible to apply to receive EUCF support.

Municipalities/local authorities, groupings of municipalities/local authorities, and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities are able to benefit only once from the EUCF support. Thus, beneficiaries from previous EUCF calls are not able to participate again in the calls for applications.

Successful applicants receive financial support in the form of a EUR 60,000 grant for the development of the investment concept.

The EUCF provides municipalities/local authorities, their groupings and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities with different types of technical support activities along their journey within the EUCF:

  • Info sessions and capacity building events: Alongside the opening of each call for applications, the EUCF organises, in cooperation with National Hubs and Country Experts, info sessions in each country to provide interested potential applicants with more information about the EUCF. Moreover, regional capacity building events, such as peer-to-peer learning opportunities and Communities of Practice as well as webinars are planned to support beneficiaries during the IC development phase.
  • Support from Country Experts: Country Experts assist beneficiaries of the EUCF in the application process and with technical and financial expertise in national language during the development of the investment concept. Country Experts do not develop investment concepts themselves. For each eligible country, an expert has been assigned, which can be contacted by the municipalities/local authorities and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities of the respective country directly through the EUCF website user zone or per email for questions, clarifications and other requests. Country Experts may also organise tailored online trainings during the opening of EUCF calls, to build the capacities of interested applicants on specific aspects of the EUCF application form, for instance focusing on the calculation of energy savings or investment size of project proposals.
  • Support from the EUCF Helpdesk: Along the entire EUCF journey, the EUCF Helpdesk plays a fundamental role in providing technical support to potential applicants and interested parties, as well as registered applicants and beneficiaries of the EUCF. The EUCF Helpdesk can be accessed through the EUCF website and EUCF website user zone, and allows users to easily communicate with the EUCF team and obtain support in case of questions, technical issues, etc.
  • Knowledge products and materials: Various knowledge tools and documents are provided on the EUCF website to facilitate the application and development process of the investment concept, such as the Investment Concept template, video tutorials, information on beneficiaries of previous calls and their proposed investment concepts, etc.

The EUR 60,000 grant is provided to EUCF beneficiaries to support the activities necessary for the development of their investment concepts. The grant amount can be used for in-house staff - if internal capacities are sufficient - or for external experts, sub-contractors and other positions that are necessary for the investment concept development. Among the activities that can be funded are feasibility studies, engineering analyses, legal analyses, social studies, market studies, financial analyses, energy audits and further supporting tasks. 

The EUCF provides support for investment projects within the field of sustainable energy, including all investments on the energy demand side, which contribute to the improvement of energy performance and the achievement of energy savings. Among the investment sectors targeted by the EUCF are public buildings (including social-rental and public housing), private residential and non-residential buildings, building integrated renewables, district heating and cooling networks, sustainable urban mobility, innovative energy infrastructure, renewable energy production infrastructure and public lighting. Nevertheless, it is also possible to implement projects in further sectors, as long as they are in the field of sustainable energy. Given the high relevance of energy efficiency for achieving the goals of European climate and energy policy, applications focused on the generation of energy savings are appreciated in the EUCF evaluation.

The EUCF is aligned with the European Commission’s European Green Deal, 2030 climate & energy framework, 2050 long-term strategy and the EIB’s energy lending policy. Thus, the EUCF has a clear position not to support investments in energy projects reliant on unabated fossil fuels, such as the production of oil and natural gas, traditional gas infrastructure, power generation technologies resulting in GHG emissions above 250 gCO2 per kWh of electricity generated, and large-scale heat production infrastructure based on unabated oil, natural gas, coal or peat.

Yes, a selection of beneficiaries or EUCF support in previous calls are listed in the EUCF website, including a brief description of their investment projects. As the investment concepts developed by EUCF beneficiaries include sensitive and confidential information, these cannot be shared as reference to other beneficiaries by the EUCF.

The five steps of the EUCF journey are:

1. Pre-application phase

At the beginning of the EUCF journey, potential applicants can receive information about the scope and the benefits of the EUCF by visiting the EUCF website, attending promotional events at EU and national level and participating in the EUCF webinars and info sessions.

2. Application phase

The EUCF application process comprises of two steps: i) the eligibility check and ii) the full application. The eligibility check is a simple, automated questionnaire, which can be answered online by the applicant on the EUCF website. To be eligible, applicants must be able to answer YES to all five questions of the eligibility check. Eligible applicants can register in the EUCF website user zone, where they can complete the application form and upload supporting documents. Applications can be submitted until the closing of the respective call and are then evaluated by a dedicated team. Successful applicants are selected and move to the next phase and become EUCF beneficiaries, while unsuccessful applications are redirected to the EUCF Helpdesk for support.

3. Grant Agreement phase

Successful applicants conclude Grant Agreements to benefit from the EUCF support. The Grant Agreement establishes the terms and conditions for EUCF support as well as the rights and obligations of both parties.  65% of the lump sum will be disbursed once the Grant Agreement enters into force; 35% of the lump sum after positive validation of the submitted investment concept. 

4. Development of the investment concept

EUCF Beneficiaries  must develop their investments concepts over a period of up to twelve months, during which the EUCF provides support through the technical and financial expertise from Country Experts and the EUCF team, standard tools and documents and capacity building events in different geographical regions on the topic.

5. Implementation of the investment concept

After the finalisation of the investment concepts, these are validated by a dedicated evaluation team. If the IC meets the validation criteria, the IC is positively validated and the beneficiary receives the remaining 35% of the total grant amount. Beneficiaries may then proceed with the successful implementation of their investment concepts. The EUCF accompanies the process by organising matchmaking and other capacity building events as well as by monitoring the IC implementation for a 2-year period. Validated ICs are uploaded into the EUCF brokering display window and presented to potential investors.

The overall EUCF application process consists of two main steps: the eligibility check.  and the full application.

  1. Eligibility check 
    The eligibility check is a simple, automated questionnaire, which can be answered by the applicant directly online. It verifies whether an applicant is eligible to apply for financial support from the EUCF. To be eligible, applicants must be able to answer YES to all five requirements. Applicants receive the result of the eligibility check immediately after answering all questions. At this stage, supporting documents are not required.
  2. Full application
    After successfully passing the eligibility check, the applicant can register in the EUCF website user zone to complete the application form and upload the supporting documents. Once the call for applications is closed, the submitted applications are evaluated by a dedicated team. The best scored applications are selected and will conclude the Grant Agreement to receive EUCF support. Unsuccessful applications receive feedback on the evaluation and can seek support from the EUCF Helpdesk to participate again in the next call for applications.

Seven calls for applications with cut off dates are organised within the scope of the EUCF, of which four are already closed. Each call is organised in parallel for three geographic regions, as displayed in the map below. For the fifth call for applications, the EU 27 Member States, Iceland and Ukraine are included in the EUCF geographical coverage.

Regional call

Countries

Central and Eastern Europe

Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine

Nordic countries & Western Europe

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Sweden

Southern Europe

Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain

Overall, each call for applications will be open for two months. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the application period for the first EUCF call was extended. Similarly, the fourth EUCF call also had an extended application period, in order to better accommodate the reduced capacities of municipalities/local authorities and local public entities during the Summer holidays. The following timeline applies for the EUCF calls for applications:

1st call

25 May 2020 - 2 October 2020

2nd call

29 March 2021 - 31 May 2021

3rd call

15 October 2021 - 17 December 2021

4th call

9 June 2022 - 30 September 2022

5th call

28 April 2023 – 30 June 2023

6th call

15 January 2024 - 15 March 2024

7th call

15 October 2024 – 18 December

Municipalities/local authorities, groupings of municipalities/local authorities, and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities are able to benefit only once from the EUCF support. Thus, beneficiaries from previous EUCF calls are not able to participate again in the calls for applications. Unsuccessful applications, on the other hand, can be revised in the EUCF website user zone and re-submitted in the next call for applications.

Applicants can submit only one application in each EUCF call.

Available on the EUCF website, the Guidelines for Applicants provide a comprehensive overview of all the information necessary for EUCF applicants. In case of further questions, municipalities, local authorities and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities can seek further support from the EUCF Helpdesk, which provides efficient and timely responses to the queries raised. Moreover, Country Experts provide hands-on guidance and technical support in national language.

The online application form is integrated in the EUCF website user zone and accessible for applicants who have successfully completed the eligibility check. After the eligibility check, eligible applicants receive login details to the EUCF website user zone. Potential applicants can take a look at the questions of the application form in advance in the EUCF website.

The eligibility check is available on the EUCF website.

To be eligible for the EUCF, applicants must have a Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SECAP) developed within the framework of the Covenant of Mayors or another local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets included. In the application, applicants will be required to submit the required plan and briefly describe it, as well as to provide at least one mitigation target established in the plan for the municipality/local authority, grouping or local public entity aggregating municipalities/local authorities. SECAPs or other local climate and/or energy plans can be submitted in the national language.

In order to demonstrate political commitment to the development of the investment concept, the EUCF applicant must submit with the application form a letter of support to the development of the investment concept signed by the Mayor or other relevant political representative. The letter of support must be submitted in English. A template is available for the letter on the EUCF website and must be mandatorily used for the submission.

The EUCF monitoring period has a duration of two years, in which the implementation of the investment concept is supervised and documented. During this period, beneficiaries are asked to notify the EUCF on the implementation process by submitting two simple monitoring forms - after one and two years, respectively - on key figures, which are used to assess the impacts of the EUCF.

No. There are no limitations or requirements regarding the population size of municipalities/local authorities, their groupings and local public entities applying for EUCF support. Smaller municipalities/local authorities are encouraged to apply for EUCF support.

No, only municipalities/local authorities, their groupings and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities can apply for EUCF support. Public-owned companies or utilities are not eligible for EUCF support. These can, however, be involved as stakeholders in the investment project proposed by the applicant municipality/local authority or local public entity, e.g. in energy performance contracting schemes for the implementation of energy efficiency measures.

Yes, any municipality/local authority, grouping or local public entity aggregating municipalities/local authorities located in Outermost Regions (OR) of the eligible countries can apply for EUCF support. Eligible countries for the EUCF are the EU-27 Member States, Iceland and Ukraine. Please note however, that municipalities/local authorities or local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities located in Overseas countries and territories (OCT) are not eligible for EUCF support.

Applicants can see the results of the eligibility check on the screen immediately after answering all the questions. To be eligible, applicants must be able to answer YES to all 5 requirements. After successfully passing the eligibility check, the applicant is able to register on the EUCF website user zone.

After successfully passing the eligibility check, applicants automatically receive login details to access the EUCF website user zone. There, applicants can complete and submit the online application form together with the supporting documents.

The online application form is integrated in the EUCF website user zone and accessible for applicants who have successfully completed the eligibility check. After the eligibility check, eligible applicants receive login details to the EUCF website user zone. Potential applicants can take a look at the questions of the application form in advance in the EUCF website.

The application form consists of a set of questions, grouped into four sections. For each of the sections, the following information has to be provided in English language by the applicant:

1. Identification of the applicant

This section comprises general information about the applicant, such as the type of applicant, contact details and contact persons as well as Local Administrative Units (LAU) and Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) 3 codes. For groupings, the name of the lead applicant as well as the LAU and NUTS 3 codes of each participating municipality/local authority have to be provided. As LAU and NUTS3 codes are not available for municipalities/local authorities from Ukraine, Ukrainian applicants must select the administrative subdivision applying from the national system of regional and territorial statistics.

In case of local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities, the NUTS 3 area code in which the entity is located must be provided as well as the tax identification number or equivalent. Moreover, this section also includes the total population size (absolute number, not displayed as thousands or millions) of the municipality/local authority, grouping or of the area covered by the local public entity aggregating municipalities/local authorities needs to be stated in this section.

2. Political commitments

In this section, the applicant is required to upload the two supporting documents to the EUCF application: the SECAP or other local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets and the letter of political support signed by the Mayor or other relevant political representative. Applicants are required to provide some general information about the submitted plan, such as its title, the timeframe covered and a brief description. Moreover, they must indicate in a table the key targets established in the submitted plan in terms of energy savings, renewable energy production and/or GHG emissions reduction. Other targets can also be indicated.

Beneficiaries from previous EUCF calls are not able to participate again in the calls for applications. In this section, applicants are required to confirm not to have benefited from EUCF support in previous calls for applications.

For local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities, this section also includes a check on the specific eligibility criteria applying.

3. Proposed investment project

In this section, information has to be provided on the proposed investment project which an investment concept should be developed within the EUCF. The requirements for this section are described more in detail in the following table:  

3.1: Title of the proposed investment concept

3.2: Project description and objectives

The applicant is required to briefly describe the proposed investment project, its relevance for the municipality/local authority, grouping or local public entity aggregating municipalities/local authorities and the main objectives to be achieved with its implementation.

3.2: Implementation period

The applicant is required to state in months the period foreseen for the implementation of the proposed investment project after the development of the investment concept. This refers to theperiod during which the investment project is to be carried out and put into action. The implementation phase is concluded once the proposed project is commissioned and operation can start.

3.3: Main investment sector targeted

The applicant is required to indicate the main sector targeted by the proposed investment project. The applicant can select one from the options below as well as specify another targeted sector, if necessary:

  • Public buildings (incl. social-rental and public housing)
  • Private non-residential buildings
  • Private residential buildings
  • Building integrated renewables
  • District heating and cooling networks
  • Sustainable urban mobility
  • Innovative energy infrastructure
  • Renewable energy production infrastructure
  • Public lighting
  • Other sectors.
     

3.5: Governance structure for investment concept development

The applicant must describe the internal organisational structure for the development of the investment concept. The provided information should allow for an overview of the governance structure and internal capacities of the applicant, specifying the roles and responsibilities of the actors involved and how decisions are made within the organisation. Moreover, applicants must indicate the need for further support from external experts and how they can contribute to the development of the investment concept. In case of groupings, the description of the governance structure is particularly important to clarify how the grouping is organised internally and how responsibilities are distributed and decisions are made.

3.6: Strategy for stakeholders’ engagement

The applicant must describe the most relevant external stakeholders for the planned investment project, indicating their needs and expectations towards it. The provided answer should also include an overview of the activities and communication tools planned to engage the described stakeholders in the process of developing the investment concept, with the corresponding timing and objectives of each action.

3.7: Intended measures

This section includes a table to be filled by the applicant stating the foreseen technology measures to be financed with the investment concept as well as their corresponding investment sector, investment costs (CAPEX) and associated expected impacts in terms of energy savings (GWh/y), renewable energy production (GWh/y) and/or greenhouse gas emissions reduction (in tCO2eq/y). The implementation of the measures should be foreseen to be undertaken within the implementation period indicated in item 3.3.

3.8: Expected size of investment

In this item the total investment costs (EUR) indicated for the intended measures described in 3.7 are summarized. To adjust the figure, applicants must make the corresponding adjustments to the individual investment costs provided in 3.7. 
The investment size refers to the investments in sustainable energy of the planned project. It does not refer to the 60 000 EUR financial support provided by the EUCF.

3.9: Expected impacts

In this item the total impacts indicated for the intended measures described in 3.7 are summarized. It includes the total expected impacts in energy savings (GWh/y), renewable energy generation (GWh/y) and/or greenhouse gas emissions reduction (in tCO2eq/y). To adjust these impact figures, applicants must make the corresponding adjustments to the individual impacts per measure provided in 3.7. Additionally, applicants can also outline if any initial estimations for other impacts, such as job creation, reduction of air pollution, etc, have already been made.

3.10: Potential for replication and/or up-scaling

Applicants are required to explain how the investment project could potentially be replicated in other contexts and/or upscaled.

4. Use of EUCF support

In this section, applicants are required to indicate, for monitoring purposes only, the activities for which the EUCF grant is needed and whether the application has been prepared by the applicant municipality/local authority, grouping or local public entity aggregating municipalities/local authorities employing internal capacities or by an external expert/consultant.

It is mandatory to complete the EUCF application form in English. Applications filled in a different language cannot be considered for the evaluation. Regarding the supporting documents required for the EUCF application, the SECAP or other local climate and/or energy plan can be submitted in the respective national language. The letter of political support to the development of the investment concept must also be submitted in English.

The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) is a territorial classification that subdivides the territory of the European Union, the UK and the EEA-EFTA States into three different hierarchical levels (NUTS 1, NUTS 2 and NUTS 3) for statistical and planning purposes. The NUTS 3 classification corresponds to small regions for specific diagnoses at regional level.

Concerning the local level, a system of Local Administrative Units (LAUs) is maintained in compatibility with the NUTS system. LAUs are subdivisions of the NUTS 3 regions, covering the entire economic territory of each EU-27 Member State and Iceland.  

The respective NUTS 3 and LAU codes can be found on a yearly updated list, available on the Eurostat website. The most recent (validated) LAU code at the moment of writing these Guidelines applies, which is included in the LAU-NUTS table 2019 for all eligible countries (except Ukraine). For Ukraine, the most recent version of the National Statistics Unit at the moment of writing these Guidelines applies.

For municipalities/local authorities and groupings from all eligible countries but Ukraine, the NUTS 3 codes can be selected from a drop-down list in the application form and the corresponding LAU codes are assigned automatically based on the postal codes provided.

For municipalities/local authorities and groupings in Ukraine, the “Raions” code can be selected from a drop-down list in the application form and the corresponding local codes appear for selection.

Local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities must indicate through the drop-down list the NUTS 3 area code in which they are located. The NUTS 3 code is only asked for statistical reasons. Local public entities located in Ukraine must select the corresponding “Raions” code from the drop-down menu.

The table below presents the investment sectors that can be targeted in the EUCF application including a description of each sector and examples of intended measures they encompass:

Investment sector

Description

Intended measures

Public buildings (incl. social-rental and public housing)

Measures aimed at improving energy efficiency in public buildings through the reduction of energy use for heating and cooling, ventilation, lighting and hot water demands as well as reducing electricity consumption of equipment and appliances. Public buildings are those owned by the municipality, including schools, community centres, libraries, courts, information centres and government buildings as well social-rental and public housing.

Renovation of public buildings, including measures such as:

  • Insulation of outside walls, roof and cellar
  • Replacement of windows
  • Replacement of ventilation system
  • Replacement of inefficient systems for heating, cooling and hot water
  • Replacement of inefficient light sources within the building
  • Upgrade of existing equipment and appliances
  • Integration of renewable energy technologies, e.g. PV or solar thermal systems

Private non-residential buildings

Measures aimed at improving energy efficiency in private non-residential buildings through the reduction of energy use for heating and cooling, ventilation, lighting and hot water demands as well as reducing electricity consumption of equipment and appliances. Private non-residential buildings are those owned by a private person and wherein no portion occupied or used for human habitation, i.e. buildings used for commercial and industrial purposes.

Renovation of private non-residential buildings, including measures such as:

  • Insulation of outside walls, roof and cellar
  • Replacement of windows
  • Replacement of ventilation system
  • Replacement of inefficient systems for heating, cooling and hot water
  • Replacement of inefficient light sources within the building
  • Upgrade of existing equipment and appliances
  • Integration of renewable energy technologies, e.g. PV or solar thermal systems

Private residential buildings

Measures aimed at improving energy efficiency in private residential buildings through the reduction of energy use for heating and cooling, ventilation, lighting and hot water demands as well as reducing electricity consumption of equipment and appliances. Private residential buildings are those owned by a private person and which provide for dwelling purposes. Residential buildings are used for housing and include the necessary facilities and utilities to satisfy the living requirements of its residents. 

Renovation of private residential buildings, including measures such as:

  • Insulation of outside walls, roof and cellar
  • Replacement of windows
  • Replacement of ventilation system
  • Replacement of inefficient systems for heating, cooling and hot water
  • Replacement of inefficient light sources within the building
  • Upgrade of existing equipment and appliances
  • Integration of renewable energy technologies, e.g. PV or solar thermal systems

Building integrated renewables

Solutions aimed at integrating renewable energy systems, such as solar photovoltaics and solar thermal collectors or biomass plants, into the building in order to produce renewable energy and reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions across the building lifecycle.

  • Building integrated photovoltaic systems
  • Building integrated solar thermal systems
  • Biomass based power plant for building energy system

District heating and cooling networks

Any measures aimed at improving the efficiency of district heating and cooling networks and integrating low-carbon energy sources into the heating and cooling energy mix.

  • Renovation of existing district heating and/or cooling network to improve energy efficiency
  • Switch to renewable energy sources, such as biomass, geothermal, solar thermal, wood energy, biogas, green hydrogen, etc.
  • Integration of secondary heat sources, e.g. from industrial processes, household waste incineration, data centres, metro, wastewater, etc.
  • Digitalisation of existing network, e.g. for reducing network’s temperature
  • Improvement of components of the existing network

Sustainable urban mobility

Measures aimed at reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the local transportation and mobility sector. Sustainable urban mobility measures contribute to reducing the environmental footprint of transportation activities and have a positive effect on society, reducing traffic congestion and air pollution and improving access to public transport and sustainable and/or non- motorized transport modes

  • Expansion of sustainable public transport modes, e.g. e-buses, vehicle integrated photovoltaics
  • Development of infrastructure for road transport electrification, e.g. charging stations, e-road systems, electricity and hydrogen power capacity
  • Charging infrastructure for e-mobility in publicly accessible buildings
  • Port electrification, e.g. charging facilities in ports and hybrid and electric ships

Innovative energy infrastructure

Innovative energy technologies and implementation schemes designed to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy production

  • Citizen energy communities
  • Circular economy models, such as wastewater treatment plants
  • Innovative renewable energy solutions, such as hydrogen infrastructure
  • Smart grid development
  • Energy storage innovation
  • Digitalisation for integration of renewables and energy saving measures
  • Systemic innovation solutions that potentialize synergies among different innovations across various components of the system

 

Renewable energy production infrastructure

Measures aimed at the renovation of existing infrastructure or development and implementation of new infrastructure for the production of renewable energy. Renewable energy is energy from renewable resources that are naturally replenished, such as bioenergy, geothermal energy, hydrogen, marine energy, solar energy and wind energy

Installation of renewable energy production systems, such as:

  • Biomass systems
  • Solar photovoltaics power plants
  • Geothermal power plants
  • Combined heat and power (CHP)
  • Onshore wind turbines
  • Offshore wind turbines
  • Tidal power
  • Hydrogen plants

Public lighting

Measures aimed at improving energy efficiency in public and street lighting systems. Reliable public lighting technologies can contribute to reducing accidents and crimes, allowing for economic activities to take place during the evening as well as reduce energy consumption and operation and maintenance costs.

  • Replacement of inefficient light sources by more efficient ones in street lighting and traffic signals.
  • Improvement of control systems for public and street lighting
  • Integration of renewable energy sources in street lighting systems, e.g. solar photovoltaic.

 

The EUCF is aligned with the EIB energy lending policy adopted in November 2019. Consequently, investments in energy projects reliant on unabated fossil fuels are not supported. See also section 1.3.5 for more information.

The expected energy savings and/or renewable energy production of the proposed investment project must be specified by the applicant in the table in item 3.7 of the application according to the intended measures to be implemented. For each measure listed in the table, the applicant must state the corresponding impacts in terms of energy savings and/or renewable energy generation. The total impacts of the project are calculated in item 3.9 of the application form as the sum of individual energy savings and renewable energy production per intended measure listed in the table. In the evaluation process, the level of ambition of the expected energy savings and/or renewable energy production generated by the planned investment project is assessed relation to the other submitted applications in the regional call. Additionally, also the overall coherence and plausibility of the elements is assessed.

Investment projects focused on energy efficiency measures will be appreciated in the evaluation, i.e. projects with the majority of impacts in energy savings (higher than 50% of the total impacts in energy savings and renewable energy production) as well as projects that include substantial measures aimed at energy efficiency, even if those do not correspond to the majority of impacts.

The expected energy savings and/or renewable energy production of the proposed investment project must be specified by the applicant in the table in item 3.7 of the application according to the intended measures to be implemented. For each measure listed in the table, the applicant must state in GWh/y the corresponding impacts in terms of energy savings and/or renewable energy generation. The total impacts of the project are calculated in item 3.9 of the application form as the sum of individual energy savings and renewable energy production per intended measure listed in the table. In the evaluation process, the level of ambition of the expected energy savings and/or renewable energy production generated by the planned investment project is assessed relation to the other submitted applications in the regional call. Additionally, also the overall coherence and plausibility of the elements is assessed.

Investment projects focused on energy efficiency measures will be appreciated in the evaluation, i.e. projects with the majority of impacts in energy savings (higher than 50% of the total impacts in energy savings and renewable energy production) as well as projects that include substantial measures aimed at energy efficiency, even if those do not correspond to the majority of impacts.

If available at this stage, applicants can state in the application form further impacts expected from the proposed investment project. In the table in item 3.7 – where intended measures and corresponding their investment sectors, expected impacts and investment costs must be indicated – applicants can also state foreseen reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in tCO2eq/y per individual measure. Additionally, further impacts - such as job creation, pollution reduction, improvement of life quality, citizen engagement, etc – can also be described by the applicant in item 3.9.

In case specific values for the investment size and energy savings/renewable energy production cannot be determined yet, the applicant can use approximate values instead, which still allows the EUCF evaluation team to understand the level of ambition of the proposed investment project and its potential impacts. Any comments on the values, assumptions and calculations can be added in the comments section of item 3.7 of the application form.

Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) or other local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets

A SECAP or another local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets must be submitted together with the application form to show that the municipality/local authority, grouping of municipalities/local authorities or local public entity aggregating municipalities/local authorities already has an overall climate/energy strategy in place.

The SECAP is a key document that describes how GHG emissions can be reduced so as to reach climate neutrality by 2050. More information about it can be found on the Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy website.

In case the applicant does not have a SECAP in place, another local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets can be submitted. For the EUCF application, the submitted plan must include at least one mitigation target, which must be stated and referenced by the applicant in the corresponding section of the application form. Different mitigation targets can be considered, such as energy savings, renewable energy production and greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Other mitigation targets can also be specified by the applicant, if preferred.  The submitted local climate and/or energy plan must cover the entire geographic area of the municipality/local authority, lead applicant of a grouping or grouping itself or local public entity aggregating municipalities/local authorities.

The SECAP or other local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets can be submitted in national language. Therefore, for the evaluation, it is important that the applicant fills correctly in the information required about the submitted plan in English in the application form.

The table below summarizes the requirements for the respective supporting documents to be submitted with the EUCF application:

Mandatory Annexes

1: Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) or other local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets

(to be submitted in PDF)

  • SECAPs and other local climate and/or energy plans can be submitted in national language or English, as preferred by the applicant.
  • In the application form, applicants must fill the required general information about the plan (title, time period covered and brief description).
  •  In the application form, applicants must fill in the table at least one of the mitigation targets established by the plan (in terms of energy savings, renewable energy generation, GHG emissions reduction or other targets), including the corresponding target value and unit, the target year and the number of the page in the submitted plan where the target is addressed.
  • The submitted plan must cover the entire geographical area of the municipality/local authority, lead applicant of a grouping or the grouping itself or local public entity aggregating municipalities/local authorities.

 

2: Letter of support to the development of the investment concept

(to be submitted in PDF)

  • The letter of support must be signed by the Mayor or other relevant political representative of the municipality/local authority, grouping or local public entity aggregating municipalities/local authorities.
  • The template provided by the EUCF must be used for the submission of the letter of support. Applications with letters of support that do not make use of the provided template will not be considered in the evaluation.

In the application form, applicants are required to provide some general information about the submitted plan, including: the title of the plan, the time period it covers and a brief description of its geographical scope, overall objectives and focus areas. In case the document of the plan cannot be submitted, applicants can also provide a link to access it online. Additionally, applicants are required to provide at least one mitigation target established by the plan, specifying its target value, unit, target year and the page number of the submitted document where the target can be found. Applicants can specify targets in terms of energy savings, renewable energy generation and/or greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Other targets can also be added in the last row of the table, if preferred.

For the application to be considered for EUCF support, both supporting documents must be submitted by the applicant in the EUCF website user zone: The Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) or other local energy and/or climate plan with mitigation targets; and the letter of support to the project by the Mayor or another relevant political representative. For the submission of the letter of support, the template provided by the EUCF must be used.

No. The mandatory supporting documents to the EUCF application – i.e. the SECAP or other local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets and the letter of political support – must be mandatorily submitted in the EUCF website user zone during the application period. Supporting documents shared per e-mail with the EUCF Team cannot be considered in the evaluation.

No. Applications for the EUCF will only be accepted while call is open. Supporting documents must be mandatorily submitted with the application form in the EUCF website user zone during the application period. After the respective call is closed, applications and supporting documents can no longer be submitted in the EUCF website user zone.

It is possible to submit the SECAP or other local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets in national language. The letter of support to the development of the investment concept must be submitted in English language. The use of the template is mandatory for the submission and this is available for download in the EUCF website.

Groupings of municipalities/local authorities are highly encouraged to apply for the EUCF. When applying as grouping, the following points have to be considered:

  • Both formal (e.g. formalised by an assembly act) and informal groupings are invited to apply.
  • One responsible partner, i.e. one lead applicant has to be defined.
  • Municipalities/local authorities participating in the grouping cannot be beneficiaries of previous EUCF calls for applications, either individually or as part of a different grouping. 
  • In the application form, the relations and decision-making processes within the grouping for the development of the investment concept have to be outlined.
  • Either the lead applicant or the grouping needs to have a SECAP or other local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets.
  • The lead applicant has to provide the proof of political commitment to the development of the investment concept.
  • As the EUCF aims to support especially small and medium-sized municipalities and, if feasible, encourages them to team up, groupings are appreciated in the evaluation process.
  • In case the application is successful, the grant amount of EUR 60,000 is awarded to the grouping as a whole. Thus, the lump sum is awarded per application, not per municipality/local authority.
  • The lead applicant is responsible to sign the Grant Agreement and to disburse the amount among the partners.

Formal or informal groupings of municipalities/local authorities are eligible to apply. They have to define in the application form one lead applicant.

No, the lead applicant must have a SECAP or other local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets. Joint action plans prepared collectively by a grouping of municipalities/local authorities are also accepted.

No, the proof of political commitment to the development of the investment concept through a letter of support by the Mayor or other relevant political representative must be submitted only by the lead applicant of the grouping. Can local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities apply as a grouping?

In case the grouping application is selected for EUCF support, the Grant Agreement is signed by Energy Cities – the coordinator of the EUCF – and the lead applicant of the grouping, as stated in the application form

In case the grouping application is selected for EUCF support, the grant amount of EUR 60,000 is awarded to the grouping as a whole. The two payments will be disbursed to the lead applicant and can be employed according to the grouping’s internal agreement/governance structure. The use and distribution of the EUCF grant among the members of a grouping must not be reported to the EUCF.

Municipalities/local authorities that applied for previous EUCF calls as part of a grouping can apply again by themselves in case the former grouping application was not selected for EUCF support. If the municipality/local authority is part of a grouping that was selected as EUCF beneficiary, it cannot apply again, either in another grouping or by itself

No. The municipalities/local authorities that make up a grouping for the EUCF application do not need to be located in the same country. Groupings formed by municipalities/local authorities from different eligible countries are accepted in the EUCF application.

Local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities are also able to apply for EUCF support. When applying as a local public entity aggregating municipalities/local authorities, the following points have to be considered:

  • Local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities need to declare in the application form that i) they are officially recognised as a tier of local government (different from the regional and provincial levels) by the national law with the obligation for municipalities/local authorities to join the supra-municipal organisation; (ii) they are composed only by municipalities/local authorities; (iii) they have a specific political and administrative structure.
  • Local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities must present an own SECAP or local other climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets that covers their geographical area.
  • Local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities are not able to apply to the EUCF as groupings.
  • Local public entities applying for EUCF support cannot be beneficiaries of previous EUCF calls for applications.  


 

Local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities may vary from country to country. Applicants included in this category must confirm their eligibility in the application form. Eligible entities must fulfil all of the following criteria:

  • Eligible public entities must be officially recognised as a tier of local government (different from the regional and provincial levels) by national law with the obligation for municipalities/local authorities to join the supra-municipal organisation;
  • Eligible public entities must be composed only by municipalities/local authorities; and
  • Eligible public entities must have a specific political and administrative structure.

Applicants are encouraged to check their potential eligibility before preparing the application by contacting the EUCF Country Experts and EUCF Helpdesk

Yes, the list below provides a set of examples (non-exhaustive list, in national languages) of potential eligible applicants included in this category.

Examples of public entities

Croatia
Urbane aglomeracije: urbana aglomeracija Zagreb, sa sjedištem u Zagrebu; urbana aglomeracija Split, sa sjedištem u Splitu; urbana aglomeracija Rijeka, sa sjedištem u Rijeci; urbana aglomeracija Osijek, sa sjedištem u Osijeku

Finland
Seutukunta

France
Communautés des communes. The list of Communautés des communes can be found here
Communautés d'agglomération. The list of communautés d'agglomération can be found here
Communautés urbaines. The list of communautés urbaines can be found here
Métropoles. The list of Métropoles can be found here

Germany
Landkreise. The list of Landkreise can be found here

Hungary
Budapest Főváros, Kistérség

Italy
Unioni dei Comuni, Comunità Montane, Unioni Montane, Comunità isolane o di arcipelago. The list of Unioni dei Comuni can be found here
Città metropolitane, as defined by art. 1, comma 5, L. n. 56/201 or any further modification in force prior to the closing date of the EUCF Call, and any other città metropolitana officially defined in any of the “Regioni a statuto speciale” prior to the closing date of the EUCF Call

Portugal
Área Metropolitana and Comunidade Intermunicipal, as defined Lei n.º 75/2013, de 12 de setembro, and any further modification in force prior to the closing date of the EUCF Call. The list can be found here

Spain
Mancomunidad, áreas metropolitanas

No, Public agencies and public companies (such as in the field of energy/waste management, economic development, touristic promotion, etc.) and/or other legal entities and/or non-profit organisations (e.g. collectives, institutions, associations, agencies etc.) which are fully or partially owned by the municipality/local authority and/or any eligible applicant, and/or which are fully or partially managed/supervised by the municipality/local authority and/or any eligible applicant, are not considered as local governments and therefore cannot be recognised as eligible public entities.

Yes, local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities need to have an SECAP or other local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets, covering their geographical area.

In case of successful evaluation during the Grant Agreement preparation phase, local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities might be asked to submit a set of documents as evidence in support of their confirmation of the eligibility criteria in the application form These documents must clearly confirm the conditions included in the application form: 

  1. The public entity is officially recognised as a tier of local government (different from the regional and provincial levels) by the national law of its State with the obligation for municipalities/local authorities to join the supra-municipal organisation; 
  2. The public entity is composed only by municipalities/local authorities; and 
  3. The public entity has a specific political and administrative structure.

The required documents may include:

  • Extract of the national and/or regional law where the local public entity is officially defined.
  • The statute of the local public entity; and/or
  • Any other document issued by the competent authority in the country of the business residence of the respective public entity, by which the compliance with the aforesaid preconditions listed under points A, B and C, may be proven.

If in the country of the business residence of the respective public entity such documents are not issued and/or if they do not prove the compliance with the conditions set in the application and listed under points A, B and C above, they may be replaced with the statement given under oath. If such statement does not exist under the legislation of a country of the business residence of the public entity, a statement of the legal representative of the respective public entity verified in front of the  competent court or administrative entity, Notary Public or professional or commercial entity in the country of the business residence of the said public entity can be submitted, by which statement the compliance with all aforesaid conditions specified under points A, B and C, will be confirmed under civil, material and criminal responsibility.

Yes. Local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities are different organisations with different status from municipalities/local authorities and their groupings. These organisations normally have different competences. Therefore, municipalities/local authorities and their groupings can apply for EUCF support in the same call as the local public entity covering its geographical area.

The evaluation of EUCF applications is conducted after the closing of each call for applications by a dedicated team composed of evaluators from adelphi and Enviros (the partners Energy Cities, Climate Alliance, FEDARENE, ICLEI-Europe and GNE Finance are not involved in the evaluation process).

Each application is evaluated individually by at least two evaluators. A third evaluator is assigned in case of discrepancy on the scores of the first two evaluators. The final score is derived as the average of the scores of each evaluator.

Applications are evaluated based on four evaluation criteria. At the end of the evaluation process, each applicant is informed about the final results and receives feedback on their application. The best scored applications are selected to receive EUCF support. Unsuccessful applications can seek for support from the EUCF Helpdesk or Country Experts and are able to participate again in the next call for applications. Any questions/complaints on the outcome of on the final results can be raised within 10 working days from the date the notification e-mail is sent.

The EUCF applications are evaluated based on the following five evaluation criteria: (A1.) Investment size, (A2.) Energy savings, (B1.) Governance structure, (B2.) Stakeholder engagement and (B3.) Alignment with the EUCF objectives. For detailed information on “Evaluation criteria” and “how are applications scored”, please refer to the “Guidelines for Applicants”.

The evaluation process takes approximately  two months from the end of the respective call. After this period, applicants will be informed about the final result.

After the finalization of the evaluation process, you will be informed via email about the results and a feedback report will be available in the EUCF website user zone. Any questions/complaints on the outcome of the final results can be raised within 10 working days from the date the notification email is sent.

There is no required minimum or maximum size of the project; however, in the evaluation process, the level of ambition of the expected size of investment of the planned investment project is set into relation to the other submitted applications in the region (regional call) as well as to the local context. Moreover, bundling/pooling of investments is appreciated and the overall coherence and plausibility of the elements are assessed.

Overall, the vision is to support smaller and medium-sized municipalities and local authorities which often have less capacities. During the evaluation, the local context is considered for scoring criteria (A1.) Investment size and (A2.) Energy savings. So, for example, if the energy savings are very ambitious for a small local authority, this will be considered for the final score. Please note that in order to receive EUCF support, investment projects must present higher impacts on energy savings (in GWh/y) than on renewable energy production (in GWh/y). Applications in which the impacts on renewable energy production represent more than 50% of the total foreseen impacts will not be accepted.

As a next step, successful applicants conclude a Grant Agreement to receive the EUCF support. The time period foreseen for the preparation and signature of the Grant Agreement is 2 (two) months as of the day when the successful applicant was informed about its selection for the EUCF support. After the signature of the Grant Agreement, each applicant has a period of 12 months to develop the investment concept.

If the successful applicant fails to sign the EUCF Grant Agreement within the given period, the EUCF reserves the right to annul the “awarding decision”, whereby consequently, an agreement with such applicant shall not be concluded, i.e., such applicant shall not be awarded with the respective financial support.

If applications with a higher ranking drop out or fail to sign the EUCF Grant Agreement, the next applicant originally placed on the waiting list will be contacted by email. The applicant will have 10 (ten) working days to express its interest in proceeding to the signature of the EUCF Grant Agreement. . In order to avoid that part of the available funds is not allocated, in the fourth EUCF call a cross-regions waiting list will apply after the evaluation. In case successful applicants fail to sign the EUCF Grant Agreement, funds will be assigned to the applications with the highest score in the evaluation, regardless of the region.

In parallel to the process of signature of the Grant Agreement, Country Experts organise a conference call with their respective beneficiaries for a capacity needs assessment to better understand the planned activities and to identify the needs for support to develop the investment concept. Beneficiaries are also able to ask any questions regarding the Grant Agreement during the conference call.

Yes, the alignment of the application with the EUCF objective is taken into account. EUCF objective is to build a substantial pipeline of sustainable energy investment projects across cities in Europe. If the application demonstrates the potential of developing a sound (and new) investment concept including a consideration of its potential for replication and up-scaling, this will be appreciated in the scoring of criteria B3.

Any questions/complaints on the outcome of the final results can be raised within 10 working days from the date the notification email is sent.

Unsuccessful applications will receive a feedback report of the evaluation and can seek support from the EUCF helpdesk team on how the application could be improved.

The support provided to unsuccessful applicants includes also a webinar organised by the EUCF to discuss and share the challenges met in the application process. Municipalities and local authorities, groupings and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities that are not selected in one call for applications are able to participate again in the next calls.

Applications with scores above the quality thresholds for criteria in the category B, but initially not high enough in the ranking to be selected for funding (due to budgetary limits), are placed on a waiting list. These applicants might be invited to Grant Agreement preparation if applications with a higher ranking drop out or fail to sign the EUCF Grant Agreement. They will be informed accordingly (for more information, please see 3.2.3 in the Guidelines for Applicants). While in the three first EUCF calls the waiting list was organised per eligible region, in the fourth EUCF call, a single cross-regions reserve list applies. Therefore, in case successful applicants fail to sign the EUCF Grant Agreement, funds will be assigned to the applications with the highest scores, regardless of the region.

The Grant Agreement sets out the terms of the relation between the beneficiary and Energy Cities, the coordinator of the EUCF, defining roles and responsibilities, milestones, and the timeline for the development of the investment concept. Moreover, the Grant Agreement determines the disbursement of the EUCF grant and requires the beneficiary to commit to the EUCF monitoring period in the implementation phase of the investment concept. A template of the Grant Agreement will be provided on the EUCF website.


 

The timeline for preparation and signature of the EUCF Grant Agreement is two months as of the day when the successful applicant(s) was/were informed about its/their selection for the EUCF support.

The grant amount will be disbursed as follows:

  • Pre-financing of 65% of the total amount at the Grant Agreement signature;
  • Final payment of 35% of the total amount after positive validation of the investment concept.

In case the grouping application is selected for EUCF support, the Grant Agreement is signed by Energy Cities – the coordinator of the EUCF – and the lead applicant of the grouping, as stated in the application form.

Yes, in parallel to the preparation and signature of the Grant Agreement Country Experts organise conference calls with the selected beneficiaries of their respective countries and the EUCF core management team. The goal of the conference call with selected applicants is to better understand their proposed investment project and identify the needs for support to develop the investment concept.

A template of the Grant Agreement applying for the beneficiaries of different EUCF calls can be found in the EUCF website under the section Documents.

An investment concept is a document which translates an investment project idea into financial language in order to mobilise financing for its realisation. It aims to bridge the process path between the project idea and the business/financing plan.

The purpose of an investment concept is to provide investors and financial institutions with the preliminary information necessary to assess an investment project in a simple and fast manner. It converts climate and energy plans or part of its measures into sound investment packages and thus, facilitates the access to funding for municipalities/local authorities and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities.

So far, many municipalities/local authorities, groupings of municipalities/local authorities and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities have developed ambitious climate and energy action plans but had difficulties to access appropriate funding. In turn, financial institutions are more and more interested in financing sustainable energy projects but have problems in finding investment projects that fulfil their requirements in terms of maturity. This document shall help in bridging this gap. 

The investment concepts are developed by the beneficiary municipalities/local authorities, groupings of municipalities/local authorities or local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities either completely in-house if enough internal capacities are available or they can engage external experts for support. Country Experts assist beneficiaries in their respective countries in this process, but cannot be sub-contracted to develop investment concepts, as well as EUCF National Hubs.

EUCF beneficiaries have up to twelve months to develop their investment concept as from the date of the Grant Agreement signature.

The final investment concept encompasses:

  • The investment concept template;
  • The financial modelling;
  • The investors’ deck;
  • And the letter of support to the implementation of the proposed investment project by the Mayor or other relevant political representative.

The investment concept template can be developed by EUCF beneficiaries in national language and will be available for download in different languages in the EUCF website.

The EUCF provides different means of support for beneficiaries both throughout the development of the investment concept and after they have been developed and validated. Support to beneficiaries for the development of the investment concept includes:

  • Financial support is provided in the form of a EUR 60,000 grant for activities necessary for the development of the investment concept, such as feasibility studies, engineering analyses, legal analyses, social studies, market studies, financial analyses, etc.
  • Communities of practice and expert training will be provided to EUCF beneficiaries from the 5th call, during the development of the investment concepts. The objective of these activities will be to provide the necessary assistance to improve the value chain for a robust financial model, comply with the regulatory framework, align project strategy with its implementation, develop and analyse financial viability, and calculate the environmental and social impact.
  • Technical support is provided by the EUCF team, which can be contacted for any sort of queries regarding the investment concept through the EUCF Helpdesk. Moreover, the respective Country Experts, who are assigned for each EU-27 Member State, Iceland and Ukraine, provide beneficiaries with locally-rooted technical and financial expertise.
  • Capacity building opportunities are provided through regional events organised by the EUCF on the topic.

Standard tools and documents, such as available in the knowledge hub on the EUCF website as well as the investment concept template, are provided to facilitate the development of the investment concept.

The investment concept template will be available for download in different languages in the EUCF website.

Yes. EUCF beneficiaries can develop their investment concepts in national language, if preferred. The investment concept template will be made available in the EUCF website in all languages of eligible countries. EUCF beneficiaries must fill in English a summary of the investment concept in the EUCF website user zone.

The investment concept must be developed by EUCF beneficiaries for the same project as described in the application form. Overall the information provided in the investment concept should be consistent and in line with that provided in the EUCF application. Deviations and alterations to the overall rationale of the planned investment project will be verified in the validation of the investment concept.

EUCF beneficiaries are highly encouraged to seek funding from investors and financial institutions and implement their investment concepts. Beneficiaries are able to share their experiences and hurdles by participating in matchmaking events, expert trainings, and other capacity building events that are organised by the EUCF. They can further benefit from the EUCF Helpdesk to address the EUCF team in case of questions regarding the implementation of the investment concept, the procedures for monitoring and reporting and the potential aggregation/joint procurement of projects.

The beneficiaries selected for EUCF support in previous calls are listed per country in the EUCF website, including a description of their investment projects. Moreover, the projects of the beneficiaries from Cascais, Girona and Leeuwarden are described more in detail in the Beneficiaries’ stories section.

More information about the process and criteria of validation of the investment concepts will be published soon on the EUCF website.


 

The investment concepts developed by EUCF beneficiaries are validated by a dedicated team of evaluators from adelphi and Enviros (the partners Energy Cities, Climate Alliance, FEDARENE, ICLEI-Europe and GNE Finance are not involved in the validation process).

Following the support activities during the development of the investment concept, the second set of support accompanies the implementation of the investment concepts and aims at bringing in touch EUCF beneficiaries with the investor community. The EUCF accompanies the implementation process by supporting the engagement process with potential investors as well as roadshows and matchmaking events. Moreover, theEUCF Helpdesk is available for beneficiaries to address the EUCF team in case of questions regarding the implementation of the investment concept, the procedures for monitoring and reporting and the potential aggregation/joint procurement of projects.

No. EUCF beneficiaries are not required to report to the EUCF Team on the use of the grant. The EUCF grant is disbursed as a lump sum to finance the activities necessary for the development of the investment concept. These, however, do not need to be communicated and financially reported to the EUCF. Information on the activities funded by the grant will be collected for monitoring purposes only.  


 

The EUCF monitoring period has a duration of two years, in which the implementation of the investment concept is supervised and documented. During this period, EUCF beneficiaries are required to report on the implementation of the investment concept by submitting two simple monitoring forms. The monitoring form is submitted after one and two years of the submission of the investment concept in the EUCF website user zone.  More information about the monitoring process will be published soon on the EUCF website.


 

To connect with financial stakeholders and facilitate the financing of the investment concepts developed within the EUCF is the ultimate goal of the support to beneficiaries. Financial stakeholders can be national or foreign commercial banks, public authorities, individual investors, financial institutions, investment banks and investment funds. In order to support the outreach for investors, the EUCF will organise outlook reports to provide interested investors with a preview of the investment projects proposed by EUCF beneficiaries as well as roadshows and matchmaking activities to connect municipalities/local authorities, groupings and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities to potential investors.

More information about the activities foreseen for the phase of implementation of the investment concepts developed within the EUCF will be published on the EUCF website soon.