Get funding to develop an investment concept
The European City Facility (EUCF) will launch its first call for proposals on 25 May 2020. All municipalities (local authorities) and their groupings from the EU-27 and UK are encouraged to apply to get support in developing an investment concept and accelerate the implementation of their energy and climate action plans. Deadline for applications is 2 October 2020.
What is an investment concept?
The investment concepts represent an initial step towards a fully-fledged business and financial plan. Thus, they facilitate the subsequent mobilisation of (local) investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy. These investment concepts are pre-feasibility studies that include the identification of the potential project pipeline, market barrier analysis, local stakeholder analysis, legal analysis, governance analysis, basic financing strategy and roadmap for implementation.
Funding sources for your local actions
Sources of funding may come afterwards from the private sector (development banks, commercial banks, etc.), but also from other EU-funded programmes such as the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), various Project Development Assistance (PDA) facilities, such as the ELENA facility of the European Investment Bank, or various national investment platforms.
Capacity building and peer learning for sound investment packages
If successful in the EUCF application process, cities and towns (especially small- and medium-sized ones) will benefit from hands-on expertise and simplified financial aid (up to EUR 60,000). The EUCF will also offer municipalities capacity building and peer-to peer support to enable the development of sound investment packages and mobilise finance.
This EUCF support will help municipalities in overcoming barriers that are shared by many signatories of the Covenant of Mayors in Europe: limited human resources capacity, conservative approaches to project financing or a lack of experience in developing investment packages.
Click here to read more about the application process.
For more infomation about the European City Facility, visit: www.eucityfacility.eu