European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition

The European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition is developing a platform for EU countries, financial institutions and the Commission to collaborate on energy efficiency financing. Through dialogue and experience sharing, the coalition will develop concrete actions and initiatives for energy efficiency financing over the coming years.

The objectives of the Coalition are to create a favourable market environment for energy efficiency investments and to scale up the private funding needed in energy efficiency to help achieve the EU’s energy and climate targets for 2030 and 2050.

Its work includes

• facilitating the implementation of energy efficiency financial instruments and schemes under EU funding programmes
• promoting these programmes to foster or facilitate further private investment in energy efficiency projects

The Coalition’s work aligns with the objectives of the Energy Efficiency Directive and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, thus supporting EU countries to implement these rules at national level. 

The Coalition is organised in 3 layers.

General Assembly

The General Assembly includes high-level representation from all Coalition members and is chaired by the Commission.

Expert groups

These groups include highly qualified experts from the Coalition’s membership base, appointed to deal with specific requests stemming from the Coalition.

National hubs

The hubs represent the Coalition in each national market. EU countries are invited to create or identify their national hub and appoint a chairperson. Each country is primarily responsible for the functioning of its hub.

The secretariat – which will be based in Brussels – supports the work of the Coalition by providing administrative and professional assistance to the structure. It also helps improve understanding of the risks and benefits of energy efficiency investments through the maintenance and expansion of the DEEP database, an integral tool of the coalition.

Origins of the Coalition 

On 19 December 2023, EU countries and the Commission took the first step towards the Coalition by signing a Joint Declaration on energy efficiency financing and the European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition, underlining the importance of mobilising private investment for energy efficiency and creating a long-term, viable funding framework for such investments.

The Coalition was announced in the Commission’s EU ‘Save Energy’ Communication, as part of the REPowerEU plan. It stated that the Commission, in cooperation with EU countries, would continue to strengthen the work of the successful Energy Efficiency Financial Institutions Group (EEFIG), with a view to transforming it into a high-level coalition. The need to step up investments in energy efficiency was further underlined in the European Council conclusions of 20-21 October 2022, and 15 December 2022.

Energy Efficiency Financial Institutions Group

It builds on the results of EEFIG, created by the Commission and the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) in 2013. EEFIG served as a joint platform for cooperation and dialogue with financial institutions on energy efficiency and provided the Commission with concrete studies and recommendations on the way forward for energy efficiency financing. UNEP FI remains a ‘privileged partner’ of the Coalition.

Publications produced by EEFIG Working Groups can be found in the dedicated CIRCABC folder.

Sustainable Energy Investment Forums

The Coalition, and in particular its national dimensions, will additionally benefit from the experience and deliverables of the Sustainable Energy Investment Forums, which, since 2017, have organised stakeholder events to facilitate dialogue on investments in sustainable energy at EU and national levels.

The Coalition is managed by unit B2 in DG Energy. If you have questions, address them to ENER-EEEFIN-COALITIONec [dot] europa [dot] eu (ENER-EEEFIN-COALITION[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)

• Recommendation on transposing Article 30 on national energy efficiency funds, financing and technical support of the recast Energy Efficiency Directive (C/2023/8558)
• Energy efficiency directive - European Commission
• Energy Performance of Buildings Directive
• Sustainable Energy Investment Forums
• The Energy Efficiency Financial Institutions Group (EEFIG - archived website)