The Commission is launching a new, co-ordinated effort to put energy efficiency at the core of Europe’s economic and energy strategies. As a first step, it hosted yesterday 2 major events: the first General Assembly of the European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition and a High-Level Stakeholder Dialogue with EU industrial leaders.
General Assembly of the European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition
At the General Assembly, the founding members of the Financing Coalition – the European Commission, EU countries and leading financial institutions – confirmed their commitment to mobilize private capital for energy efficiency investments. They endorsed a work programme for 2025 and sketched possible avenues to encourage more energy efficient solutions in the EU industrial ecosystem, as well as actions to promote energy efficiency EU-wide.
The meeting offered the possibility to share examples of successful projects already underway, from advances in insulation of industrial buildings to automation technologies to high-efficiency heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems with waste heat recovery.
Among the Coalition’s key priorities is the creation of national hubs to identify bottlenecks at national level and to develop project pipelines and new Efficiency Investment Platforms to link these projects with more accessible financing. The Coalition will explore the possibility of piloting innovative tripartite contracts between governments, financiers and project developers to accelerate the roll-out of energy efficiency solutions.
The General Assembly also pledged to broaden its base not only by launching a new call for financing institutions, but also, a call for industry, to involve providers and users of energy efficiency solutions in shaping the industrial aspects of energy efficiency.
High-Level Stakeholder Dialogue
At the High-Level Stakeholder Dialogue, industry leaders and the Commission identified financial, technical, and regulatory obstacles that hold back more ambitious actions on energy efficiency. Drawing on the outcome of these discussions, the Commission will look into how best to operationalise the recommendations designed to remove barriers and catalyse investment.
Energy efficiency is now firmly positioned as a strategic lever for Europe’s competitiveness, energy security, and climate action. Not only does energy efficiency help to lower energy bills and decarbonise our economy, but they also contribute to Europe’s move away from importing Russian fossil fuels
- without the efficiency gains made over recent decades, the EU’s energy consumption today would be 27 % higher – equivalent to the energy use of France, the Netherlands, Austria, and Finland combined
- every 1% of improvement in energy efficiency translates into a 2.6 % reduction in gas imports, while using energy in a smarter way, for example, not during peak hours, could lower future electricity grid investment needs by up to 35 %
- the EU’s fossil fuel import bill is projected to drop by €33 billion by 2030 and €70 billion by 2040 thanks to energy efficiency gains alone
Both the General Assembly and Stakeholder Dialogue mark the start of a sustained series of engagements and processes, leading towards more collaboration with Europe’s industrial and financial ecosystems, confirming Europe’s ambition to become the global frontrunner in energy efficiency.
Next steps
Looking ahead, the Coalition will focus on operationalising its new structures and expanding its membership, particularly among industry. National hubs are expected to be fully functional by the end of 2025. Sustained dialogue with industry will remain a priority, ensuring that evolving needs and barriers are met with targeted policy, financial, and technical responses.
At the same time, the Commission will continue to provide EU countries with regulatory support as they implement the EU directives on energy efficiency and the energy performance of buildings.
This renewed drive for energy efficiency will continue during energy efficiency events taking place at European Sustainable Energy Week on 10-12 June 2025 and the IEA Global Energy Efficiency Conference on 12–13 June 2025. Both events will bring together European and international leaders to reinforce the importance of energy efficiency in achieving climate and energy goals worldwide.
Photos from both the General Assembly and the High-Level Dialogue will be published shortly.
Related links
- First General Assembly of the European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition
- European Energy Efficiency Financing Colalition Scope of of action and mandate work programme for the first year of activities
- Call for Coalition membership for financial institutions
- Call for Coalition membership for industry
- EC photos on the AV Portal – General Assembly of the European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition
- EC photos on the AV Portal – High-Level Stakeholder Dialogue
- European Sustainable Energy Week
- IEA Global Energy Efficiency Conference