L’UE soutient le financement régional des logements économes en énergie[en] 

The rule changes, proposed by the European Commission in December 2008, amend the Regulation on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which currently only funds energy-efficient housing schemes in the 12 countries that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007.

Once in force, the new rules will allow all member states to use their allocations to co-fund projects like the installation of solar panels in housing, or retrofitting houses with wall insulation, double glazing and more efficient boilers.

The decision will not bring any new money to the Community cohesion budget, but allows member states to "shift their priorities," according to the Parliament. 

The EU assembly and the Council agreed to restrict spending by individual member states on energy-efficient housing to 4% of their ERDF allocations. The new EU countries, however, will be able to fund other types of housing programmes, bringing their total spending opportunities to 6% of their allocations.

Moreover, EU lawmakers broadened the scope of the original proposal, which was meant to apply strictly to low-income households. Instead, decisions on which categories of housing are eligible for funding are left up to national governments.

The proposed changes were part of the Commission's economic recovery package (EurActiv 27/11/08). The EU expects the new provisions to both cut emissions from energy consumption and create jobs in the building sector. 

The potential is in any case substantial, as buildings are responsible for around 40% of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU. The Commission estimates that the Union could cost-effectively save 28% energy in this area by 2020.

"There are 30 million residences in Europe which have leaky roofs and humidity in the walls. With the eight billion euros which we want to release from the ERDF, we will be able to rectify the problem in approximately one million houses," said French MEP Jean-Marie Beaupuy, ALDE coordinator in the Parliament's regional affairs committee. He said this would create 250,000 jobs and improve a million homes.

German Green MEP Gisela Kallenbach, however, said that while praiseworthy, the initiative would be "nowhere near enough" to reach the EU's self-imposed climate goals.