Building Decarbonisation: Integrated Renovation Programmes and Local Heating and Cooling Plans

This Call for Partners aims at establishing a new Thematic Partnership under the Urban Agenda for the European Union (UAEU) on the theme Building Decarbonisation: Integrated Renovation Programmes and Local Heating and Cooling Plans.
It is scheduled to remain open until 2 October 2024.

Apply now to become a partner! It is quick and easy. 

1. Familiarise yourself with the documents available

The Background Document provides information on the thematic focus of the partnership, about the call and the selection process, categories of stakeholders invited to apply and the eligibility criteria.
Download the Background Document
Furthermore, we encourage interested stakeholders to consult the Ex-Ante Assessment for a more in-depth understanding of the scope of the thematic area and what already exists on the topic. 
Download the Ex-Ante Assessment

2. Access and fill in the application form on EUSurvey

The EUSurvey form is easy to fill in and it allows you to save changes throughout, making it possible to work on the form in several rounds. 
Make sure to read the questions and instructions thoroughly and respond concisely. Only applications submitted in English will be accepted. 

Applications should be submitted via the application form on EUSurvey by 2 October 2024 at 14:00 (CEST).

Apply now!

Disclaimer: 
EUSurvey has reported that the website will be under technical maintenance from 30 August at 19:00 (CEST) until 2 September at 09:00 (CEST). Applicants might have issues using the application form in this period.
A sample of the pdf. version of the application form is available at the bottom of this page, for applicants to download and consult while EUSurvey is under maintenance. Please note only applications submitted through EUSurvey will be accepted.
 

Applicant Seminar

An online applicant seminar took place on 5 September where interested stakeholders got more information about the application process as well as what to expect from a Thematic Partnership within the Urban Agenda for the EU.

Click the link below to consult the recording of the seminar and the PowerPoint slides.

Access the material here!

Questions and Answers 

Visit our dedicated online Q&A page to find answers to common questions about the UAEU Call for new Thematic Partnerships. This Q&A is based on real inquiries from previous partnership applicants and is designed to assist you throughout the application process. If you can't find the answer you're looking for, you can submit your questions here! 

The European Union has set very ambitious energy and climate goals, including the decarbonization of the building stock by 2050. For achieving these goals Member States are obliged to develop and submit National Energy and Climate Integrated Plans (NECPS) and Long-Term Renovation Strategies for improving the energy efficiency and retrofitting of the building stock. The recently adopted Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) also foresees for cities of minimum 45,000 inhabitants to develop local cooling and heating plans. Adding to this, the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) also include a mandatory percentage of renewable energy in these local heating and cooling plans.

This partnership proposes to address decarbonisation of building through a strategic integrated approach, going beyond individual buildings and encouraging the district/neighbourhood approach and make full use of the provisions in the revised directives. Local heating and cooling plans are among the important steps towards decarbonisation of buildings. This approach could be linked with development of district heating, the development of energy communities and energy sharing and explore the possibilities of the Electricity Market Design reform. To put these objectives in practice, it is important to develop strategies and plans at the local level.

Before a Thematic Partnership within the Urban Agenda for the EU can be established, an Ex-Ante Assessment report of the theme must be developed. The EAA, is an evidence-based research report, written by an external experts which explores the relevance and necessity of the theme and defines the scope of the potential partnership. What exists and what has already been done on these themes? What are the challenges, the gaps and the opportunities? Once the report is finalised, it must be presented to the Directors General Meeting on Urban Matters (DGUM) which gathers representatives from the European Commission, Member States, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and relevant urban networks and umbrella organisations. On 26 June 2024 this meeting was organised and the Ex-Ante Assessment was successfully endorsed.