The EU Horizon 2020 programme and the Smart Cities & Communities initiative have been two important funding instruments for local energy and climate action in the past years. As the EU Commission is preparing its work-programme for the funding period 2018-2020, Energy Cities provides key recommendations to enable Horizon 2020 and Smart Cities & Communities to better support local and regional authorities in their energy transition.
The mid-term review of the EU’s Multi-Annual Financial Framework at the end of 2016 has resulted in an additional €400 million for the Horizon 2020 programme and the Smart Cities & Communities (SCC) initiative in the coming three years. This is a positive development that can enable to further support the locally driven energy transition.
For Energy Cities, the Horizon 2020 and SCC work-programmes in 2018-2020 should rely on the following cornerstones to make the most effective use of these additional funds:
For more information, read our full briefing on the Horizon 2020 and SCC 2018-2020 work-programmes here.
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