FAQ

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The FAQ can be accessed directly below or downloaded as a PDF.
If you have any unanswered questions, please contact the Helpdesk or EUCF's national support network.

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FAQ EUCF Calls

Helpdesk

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National Support

Web Based FAQ

1: About the EUCF

2. Application process

2.1 What is the application process for receiving EUCF support?

The overall EUCF application process consists of two main steps: the eligibility check. and the full application.

Eligibility check
The eligibility check is a simple, automated questionnaire, which can be answered by the applicant directly online. It verifies whether an applicant is eligible to apply for financial support from the EUCF. To be eligible, applicants must be able to answer YES to all five requirements. Applicants receive the result of the eligibility check immediately after answering all questions. At this stage, supporting documents are not required.
Full application
After successfully passing the eligibility check, the applicant can register in the EUCF website user zone to complete the application form and upload the supporting documents. Once the call for applications is closed, the submitted applications are evaluated by a dedicated team. The best scored applications are selected and will conclude the Grant Agreement to receive EUCF support. Unsuccessful applications receive feedback on the evaluation and can seek support from the EUCF Helpdesk to participate again in the next call for applications.

2.2 How are the EUCF calls for applications organised?

Seven calls for applications with cut off dates are organised within the scope of the EUCF, of which four are already closed. Each call is organised in parallel for three geographic regions, as displayed in the map below. From the the fifth call on, the EU 27 Member States, Iceland and Ukraine are included in the EUCF geographical coverage.

Regional call	Countries
Central and Eastern Europe	Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine
Nordic countries & Western Europe	Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Sweden
Southern Europe	Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain

2.3 When are the EUCF calls for applications taking place?

Overall, each call for applications will be open for two months. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the application period for the first EUCF call was extended. Similarly, the fourth EUCF call also had an extended application period, in order to better accommodate the reduced capacities of municipalities/local authorities and local public entities during the Summer holidays. The following timeline applies for the EUCF calls for applications:

1st call

25 May 2020 - 2 October 2020

2nd call

29 March 2021 - 31 May 2021

3rd call

15 October 2021 - 17 December 2021

4th call

9 June 2022 - 30 September 2022

5th call

28 April 2023 – 30 June 2023

6th call

15 January 2024 - 15 March 2024

7th call

15 October 2024 – 18 December

2.4 Can applicants apply several times and/or resubmit a rejected application?

Municipalities/local authorities, groupings of municipalities/local authorities, and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities are able to benefit only once from the EUCF support. Thus, beneficiaries from previous EUCF calls are not able to participate again in the calls for applications. Unsuccessful applications, on the other hand, can be revised in the EUCF website user zone and re-submitted in the next call for applications.

Applicants can submit only one application in each EUCF call.

2.5 How to seek support in case of questions during the application process?

Available on the EUCF website, the Guidelines for Applicants provide a comprehensive overview of all the information necessary for EUCF applicants. In case of further questions, municipalities, local authorities and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities can seek further support from the EUCF Helpdesk, which provides efficient and timely responses to the queries raised. Moreover, Country Experts provide hands-on guidance and technical support in national language.

3. Eligibility check

4. Application Form & Required Documents

4.11 Which documents must be submitted with the EUCF application?

Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) or other local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets

A SECAP or another local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets must be submitted together with the application form to show that the municipality/local authority, grouping of municipalities/local authorities or local public entity aggregating municipalities/local authorities already has an overall climate/energy strategy in place.

The SECAP is a key document that describes how GHG emissions can be reduced so as to reach climate neutrality by 2050. More information about it can be found on the Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy website.

In case the applicant does not have a SECAP in place, another local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets can be submitted. For the EUCF application, the submitted plan must include at least one mitigation target, which must be stated and referenced by the applicant in the corresponding section of the application form. Different mitigation targets can be considered, such as energy savings, renewable energy production and greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Other mitigation targets can also be specified by the applicant, if preferred. The submitted local climate and/or energy plan must cover the entire geographic area of the municipality/local authority, lead applicant of a grouping or grouping itself or local public entity aggregating municipalities/local authorities.

The SECAP or other local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets can be submitted in national language. Therefore, for the evaluation, it is important that the applicant fills correctly in the information required about the submitted plan in English in the application form.

4.12 What are the requirements for the supporting documents?

The table below summarizes the requirements for the respective supporting documents to be submitted with the EUCF application:

Mandatory Annexes

1: Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) or other local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets

(to be submitted in PDF)

SECAPs and other local climate and/or energy plans can be submitted in national language or English, as preferred by the applicant.
In the application form, applicants must fill the required general information about the plan (title, time period covered and brief description).
In the application form, applicants must fill in the table at least one of the mitigation targets established by the plan (in terms of energy savings, renewable energy generation, GHG emissions reduction or other targets), including the corresponding target value and unit, the target year and the number of the page in the submitted plan where the target is addressed.
The submitted plan must cover the entire geographical area of the municipality/local authority, lead applicant of a grouping or the grouping itself or local public entity aggregating municipalities/local authorities.

2: Letter of support to the development of the investment concept

(to be submitted in PDF)

The letter of support must be signed by the Mayor or other relevant political representative of the municipality/local authority, grouping or local public entity aggregating municipalities/local authorities.
The template provided by the EUCF must be used for the submission of the letter of support. Applications with letters of support that do not make use of the provided template will not be considered in the evaluation.

4.13 Which information must be provided about the SECAP or other local climate and/or energy plan in the application form?

In the application form, applicants are required to provide some general information about the submitted plan, including: the title of the plan, the time period it covers and a brief description of its geographical scope, overall objectives and focus areas. In case the document of the plan cannot be submitted, applicants can also provide a link to access it online. Additionally, applicants are required to provide at least one mitigation target established by the plan, specifying its target value, unit, target year and the page number of the submitted document where the target can be found. Applicants can specify targets in terms of energy savings, renewable energy generation and/or greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Other targets can also be added in the last row of the table, if preferred.

4.14 Can the application be submitted without any of the supporting documents?

For the application to be considered for EUCF support, both supporting documents must be submitted by the applicant in the EUCF website user zone: The Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) or other local energy and/or climate plan with mitigation targets; and the letter of support to the project by the Mayor or another relevant political representative. For the submission of the letter of support, the template provided by the EUCF must be used.

4.15 Can supporting documents be shared per e-mail with the EUCF Team?

No. The mandatory supporting documents to the EUCF application – i.e. the SECAP or other local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets and the letter of political support – must be mandatorily submitted in the EUCF website user zone during the application period. Supporting documents shared per e-mail with the EUCF Team cannot be considered in the evaluation.

4.16 Can supporting documents be submitted after the closing of the call for applications?

No. Applications for the EUCF will only be accepted while call is open. Supporting documents must be mandatorily submitted with the application form in the EUCF website user zone during the application period. After the respective call is closed, applications and supporting documents can no longer be submitted in the EUCF website user zone.

4.17 In which language must the documents be submitted?

It is possible to submit the SECAP or other local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets in national language. The letter of support to the development of the investment concept must be submitted in English language. The use of the template is mandatory for the submission and this is available for download in the EUCF website.

5. Application by grouping of municipalities/local authorities

5.1 What has to be considered when applying as a grouping?

Groupings of municipalities/local authorities are highly encouraged to apply for the EUCF. When applying as grouping, the following points have to be considered:

Both formal (e.g. formalised by an assembly act) and informal groupings are invited to apply.
One responsible partner, i.e. one lead applicant has to be defined.
Municipalities/local authorities participating in the grouping cannot be beneficiaries of previous EUCF calls for applications, either individually or as part of a different grouping.
In the application form, the relations and decision-making processes within the grouping for the development of the investment concept have to be outlined.
Either the lead applicant or the grouping needs to have a SECAP or other local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets.
The lead applicant has to provide the proof of political commitment to the development of the investment concept.
As the EUCF aims to support especially small and medium-sized municipalities and, if feasible, encourages them to team up, groupings are appreciated in the evaluation process.
In case the application is successful, the grant amount of EUR 60,000 is awarded to the grouping as a whole. Thus, the lump sum is awarded per application, not per municipality/local authority.
The lead applicant is responsible to sign the Grant Agreement and to disburse the amount among the partners.

5.2 Who qualifies as part of a grouping?

Formal or informal groupings of municipalities/local authorities are eligible to apply. They have to define in the application form one lead applicant.

5.3 Must each partner of a grouping provide their own SECAP or other climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets?

No, the lead applicant must have a SECAP or other local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets. Joint action plans prepared collectively by a grouping of municipalities/local authorities are also accepted.

5.4 Does each partner have to provide a proof of political commitment?

No, the proof of political commitment to the development of the investment concept through a letter of support by the Mayor or other relevant political representative must be submitted only by the lead applicant of the grouping. Can local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities apply as a grouping?

5.5 In case the application is selected, how is the Grant Agreement signed by groupings?

In case the grouping application is selected for EUCF support, the Grant Agreement is signed by Energy Cities – the coordinator of the EUCF – and the lead applicant of the grouping, as stated in the application form

5.6 How is the EUCF grant shared among the municipalities/local authorities that are members of the grouping?

In case the grouping application is selected for EUCF support, the grant amount of EUR 60,000 is awarded to the grouping as a whole. The two payments will be disbursed to the lead applicant and can be employed according to the grouping’s internal agreement/governance structure. The use and distribution of the EUCF grant among the members of a grouping must not be reported to the EUCF.

5.7 Can a municipality that applied as part of a grouping in a previous call apply again by itself?

Municipalities/local authorities that applied for previous EUCF calls as part of a grouping can apply again by themselves in case the former grouping application was not selected for EUCF support. If the municipality/local authority is part of a grouping that was selected as EUCF beneficiary, it cannot apply again, either in another grouping or by itself

5.8 Must the municipalities/local authorities of a grouping be located in the same country?

No. The municipalities/local authorities that make up a grouping for the EUCF application do not need to be located in the same country. Groupings formed by municipalities/local authorities from different eligible countries are accepted in the EUCF application.

6. Application by local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities

6.1 What has to be considered when applying as a local public entity?

Local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities are also able to apply for EUCF support. When applying as a local public entity aggregating municipalities/local authorities, the following points have to be considered:

Local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities need to declare in the application form that i) they are officially recognised as a tier of local government (different from the regional and provincial levels) by the national law with the obligation for municipalities/local authorities to join the supra-municipal organisation; (ii) they are composed only by municipalities/local authorities; (iii) they have a specific political and administrative structure.
Local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities must present an own SECAP or local other climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets that covers their geographical area.
Local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities are not able to apply to the EUCF as groupings.
Local public entities applying for EUCF support cannot be beneficiaries of previous EUCF calls for applications.

6.2 Who qualifies as a local public entity aggregating municipalities/local authorities?

Local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities may vary from country to country. Applicants included in this category must confirm their eligibility in the application form. Eligible entities must fulfil all of the following criteria:

Eligible public entities must be officially recognised as a tier of local government (different from the regional and provincial levels) by national law with the obligation for municipalities/local authorities to join the supra-municipal organisation;
Eligible public entities must be composed only by municipalities/local authorities; and
Eligible public entities must have a specific political and administrative structure.

Applicants are encouraged to check their potential eligibility before preparing the application by contacting the EUCF Country Experts and EUCF Helpdesk.

6.3 Are there examples for potential eligible local public entities?

Yes, the list below provides a set of examples (non-exhaustive list, in national languages) of potential eligible applicants included in this category.

Examples of public entities

Croatia
Urbane aglomeracije: urbana aglomeracija Zagreb, sa sjedištem u Zagrebu; urbana aglomeracija Split, sa sjedištem u Splitu; urbana aglomeracija Rijeka, sa sjedištem u Rijeci; urbana aglomeracija Osijek, sa sjedištem u Osijeku

Finland
Seutukunta

France
Communautés des communes. The list of Communautés des communes can be found here

Communautés d'agglomération. The list of communautés d'agglomération can be found here

Communautés urbaines. The list of communautés urbaines can be found here

Métropoles. The list of Métropoles can be found here

Germany
Landkreise. The list of Landkreise can be found here

Hungary
Budapest Főváros, Kistérség

Italy
Unioni dei Comuni, Comunità Montane, Unioni Montane, Comunità isolane o di arcipelago. The list of Unioni dei Comuni can be found here

Città metropolitane, as defined by art. 1, comma 5, L. n. 56/201 or any further modification in force prior to the closing date of the EUCF Call, and any other città metropolitana officially defined in any of the “Regioni a statuto speciale” prior to the closing date of the EUCF Call

Portugal
Área Metropolitana and Comunidade Intermunicipal, as defined Lei n.º 75/2013, de 12 de setembro, and any further modification in force prior to the closing date of the EUCF Call. The list can be found here

Spain
Mancomunidad, áreas metropolitanas

6.4 Can public agencies or public companies apply as local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities?

No, Public agencies and public companies (such as in the field of energy/waste management, economic development, touristic promotion, etc.) and/or other legal entities and/or non-profit organisations (e.g. collectives, institutions, associations, agencies etc.) which are fully or partially owned by the municipality/local authority and/or any eligible applicant, and/or which are fully or partially managed/supervised by the municipality/local authority and/or any eligible applicant, are not considered as local governments and therefore cannot be recognised as eligible public entities.

6.5 Do local public entities require an own SECAP or other local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets?

Yes, local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities need to have an SECAP or other local climate and/or energy plan with mitigation targets, covering their geographical area.

6.6 Which documents can be required by the EUCF team in case of successful evaluation to check compliance with the eligibility criteria for local public entities?

In case of successful evaluation during the Grant Agreement preparation phase, local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities might be asked to submit a set of documents as evidence in support of their confirmation of the eligibility criteria in the application form These documents must clearly confirm the conditions included in the application form:

The public entity is officially recognised as a tier of local government (different from the regional and provincial levels) by the national law of its State with the obligation for municipalities/local authorities to join the supra-municipal organisation;
The public entity is composed only by municipalities/local authorities; and
The public entity has a specific political and administrative structure.

The required documents may include:

Extract of the national and/or regional law where the local public entity is officially defined.
The statute of the local public entity; and/or
Any other document issued by the competent authority in the country of the business residence of the respective public entity, by which the compliance with the aforesaid preconditions listed under points A, B and C, may be proven.

If in the country of the business residence of the respective public entity such documents are not issued and/or if they do not prove the compliance with the conditions set in the application and listed under points A, B and C above, they may be replaced with the statement given under oath. If such statement does not exist under the legislation of a country of the business residence of the public entity, a statement of the legal representative of the respective public entity verified in front of the competent court or administrative entity, Notary Public or professional or commercial entity in the country of the business residence of the said public entity can be submitted, by which statement the compliance with all aforesaid conditions specified under points A, B and C, will be confirmed under civil, material and criminal responsibility.

6.7 Can a municipality/local authority or a grouping from the geographical area covered by a local public entity apply in a EUCF call if the local public entity is also applying?

Yes. Local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities are different organisations with different status from municipalities/local authorities and their groupings. These organisations normally have different competences. Therefore, municipalities/local authorities and their groupings can apply for EUCF support in the same call as the local public entity covering its geographical area.

7. Evaluation and Selection of Beneficiaries

7.1 What is the procedure for evaluating the applications?

The evaluation of EUCF applications is conducted after the closing of each call for applications by a dedicated team composed of evaluators from adelphi and Enviros (the partners Energy Cities, Climate Alliance, FEDARENE, ICLEI-Europe and GNE Finance are not involved in the evaluation process).

Each application is evaluated individually by at least two evaluators. A third evaluator is assigned in case of discrepancy on the scores of the first two evaluators. The final score is derived as the average of the scores of each evaluator.

Applications are evaluated based on four evaluation criteria. At the end of the evaluation process, each applicant is informed about the final results and receives feedback on their application. The best scored applications are selected to receive EUCF support. Unsuccessful applications can seek for support from the EUCF Helpdesk or Country Experts and are able to participate again in the next call for applications. Any questions/complaints on the outcome of on the final results can be raised within 10 working days from the date the notification e-mail is sent.

7.2 How are applications with identical/similar content verified in the evaluation?

Applications submitted for EUCF support shall be unique and tailored to the local context of the applicant municipality/local authority, grouping or local public entity aggregating municipalities/local authorities. Evaluators will flag up applications with duplicate content in the description of the requirements in the application form. These applications cannot be considered for EUCF support and will be rejected in the evaluation process under criterion four (Coherence and plausibility).

7.3 What are the criteria for evaluating the applications?

The EUCF applications are evaluated based on the following five evaluation criteria:

Evaluation criteria	Requirements	Score
1. Ambition of the proposed investment concept	Following aspects are considered in the evaluation: 1.1 Ambition level of the expected absolute investment size 1.2 Ambition level of the expected investment size per capita 1.3 Ambition level of the expected impacts in terms of energy savings and renewable energy production 1.4 Ambition level of the expected impacts per capita in terms of energy savings and renewable energy production 1.5 Cost-effectiveness of the proposed investment project 1.6 Focus on energy efficiency of the proposed investment project 1.7 Potential for replication and/or upscaling of the proposed investment project	7 points
2. Governance structure for the development of the investment concept	Following aspects are considered in the evaluation: 2.1 Elements addressed in the description of the governance structure: · Roles and responsibilities of the actors involved · Decision-making processes and actors with decision-making power · Persons in charge for the development of the investment concept · Internal capacities for the development of the investment concept · Need for external experts and capacity building areas 2.2 Overall clarity and coherence of the governance structure description 2.3 Appropriateness and robustness of the governance structure for the development of the investment concept	5 points
3. Stakeholders engagement strategy	Following aspects are considered in the evaluation: 3.1 Elements addressed in the description of the stakeholder engagement strategy: · Definition of relevant stakeholders · Definition of stakeholders’ needs and expectations towards the investment project · Planned activities for fostering stakeholder engagement and their objectives · Foreseen communication instruments · Timing of implementation of planned engagement activities 3.2 Overall clarity and coherence of the description of the stakeholder engagement strategy 3.3 Appropriateness of the stakeholder engagement strategy for the development of the investment concept	5 points
4. Coherence and plausibility	Following aspects are considered in the evaluation: 4.1 Application is thoroughly filled, and its content is coherent and plausible 4.2 The expected investment size and impacts in energy savings and renewable energy generation are coherent and realistic in relation to the proposed investment project, the local context and other submitted applications in the regional call. 4.3 Application is unique and tailor-made and does not include any duplicate/similar content compared to other applications submitted in the same call.	3 points

7.4 How are applications scored?

For each evaluation criterion, a maximum score can be achieved based on the specific sub-score of each evaluation question. The table below presents an overview of the evaluation questions and specific sub-scores that can be achieved within each of them:

No.	Evaluation questions	Score
1	Ambition of the proposed investment concept No quality threshold applies	7
1.1	In relation to the local context and the other submitted applications in the regional call as well as the foreseen implementation period, how is the ambition level of the expected investment size?	0.7
1.2	In relation to the local context and the other submitted applications in the regional call as well as the foreseen implementation period, how is the ambition level of the expected investment per capita?	0.7
1.3	In relation to the local context and the other submitted applications in the regional call, how is the ambition level of the expected impacts in energy savings and renewable energy generation?	0.7
1.4	In relation to the local context and the other submitted applications in the regional call, how is the ambition level of the figures per capita of the expected impacts in energy savings and renewable energy generation?	0.7
1.5	Considering the intended technology measures and the local context, is the project cost-effective?	0.7
1.6	Is the investment project focused on energy efficiency measures?	2.5
1.7	Does the investment project demonstrate potential for replication and/or up-scaling?	1
2	Governance structure for the development of investment concept Quality threshold: 2.5/5	5
2.1	Are the following elements included in the description of the governance structure? в–Є Roles and responsibilities of the actors involved в–Є Decision-making processes and actors with decision-making power в–Є Persons in charge for the development of the investment concept в–Є Internal capacities for the development of the investment concept в–Є Need for external experts and capacity building areas	2.5
2.2	Overall, is the governance structure clearly described?	1.25
2.3	Overall, does the governance structure seems robust and appropriate for the development of the investment concept?	1.25
3	Stakeholders engagement strategy Quality threshold: 2.5/5	5
3.1	Are the following elements included in the description of the stakeholder engagement strategy? в–Є Definition of relevant stakeholders в–Є Definition of stakeholdersвЂ™ needs and expectations towards the investment project в–Є Planned activities for fostering stakeholder engagement and their objectives в–Є Foreseen communication instruments в–Є Timing of implementation of planned engagement activities	2.5
3.2	Overall, is the strategy for stakeholder engagement clearly described?	1.25
3.3	Overall, does the stakeholder engagement strategy seems thoroughly thought and appropriate for the development of the investment concept?	1.25
4	Coherence and plausibility Quality threshold: 1.5/3	3
4.1	Is the application thoroughly filled and its content coherent and plausible?	1.5
4.2	Are the expected investment size and impacts in energy savings and renewable energy generation coherent and realistic in relation to the proposed investment project, the local context and the other submitted applications in the regional call?	1.5
4.3	Is there identical or similar content in the application form compared to other applications submissions in the same call? (This evaluation question is not scored. Applications with identical or similar content to other applications submitted in the call cannot be considered for EUCF support and will be rejected in case both evaluators answer YES to this evaluation question.)	0
TOTAL POSSIBLE SCORE		20

The maximum score achievable by applicants in the evaluation is 20 points. A quality threshold of 50% of the total possible points applies to evaluation criteria two, three and four. Applications that do not meet the quality threshold in one of the criteria cannot be considered for EUCF support. The quality threshold does not apply for criterion 1 – Ambition of the proposed investment concept.

7.5 How is the investment project’s focus on energy efficiency considered in the evaluation?

Given the high relevance of energy efficiency for achieving the goals of European climate and energy policy, projects with focus on energy efficiency measures are appreciated in the EUCF evaluation within criterion 1.6. In the evaluation of criterion 1.6, applications with investment projects that have the majority of impacts in energy savings (i.e. more than 50% of the total impacts in energy savings and renewable energy generation) will be awarded with the maximum score (2.5 points).

Applications with investment projects that include substantial energy efficiency measures, although these do not correspond to the majority of the total impacts, will be awarded with half of the total score possible in this criterion. Applications with investment projects focused on renewable energy generation, i.e. that do not include energy efficiency measures, will not score in this criterion.

7.6 How is the final score derived?

The calculation of the evaluation score follows the logic presented in the table below:

No.	Evaluation questions	Score
1	Ambition of the proposed investment concept No quality threshold applies	7
1.1	In relation to the local context and the other submitted applications in the regional call as well as the foreseen implementation period, how is the ambition level of the expected investment size?	0.7
1.2	In relation to the local context and the other submitted applications in the regional call as well as the foreseen implementation period, how is the ambition level of the expected investment per capita?	0.7
1.3	In relation to the local context and the other submitted applications in the regional call, how is the ambition level of the expected impacts in energy savings and renewable energy generation?	0.7
1.4	In relation to the local context and the other submitted applications in the regional call, how is the ambition level of the figures per capita of the expected impacts in energy savings and renewable energy generation?	0.7
1.5	Considering the intended technology measures and the local context, is the project cost-effective?	0.7
1.6	Is the investment project focused on energy efficiency measures?	2.5
1.7	Does the investment project demonstrate potential for replication and/or up-scaling?	1
2	Governance structure for the development of investment concept Quality threshold: 2.5/5	5
2.1	Are the following elements included in the description of the governance structure? в–Є Roles and responsibilities of the actors involved в–Є Decision-making processes and actors with decision-making power в–Є Persons in charge for the development of the investment concept в–Є Internal capacities for the development of the investment concept в–Є Need for external experts and capacity building areas	2.5
2.2	Overall, is the governance structure clearly described?	1.25
2.3	Overall, does the governance structure seems robust and appropriate for the development of the investment concept?	1.25
3	Stakeholders engagement strategy Quality threshold: 2.5/5	5
3.1	Are the following elements included in the description of the stakeholder engagement strategy? в–Є Definition of relevant stakeholders в–Є Definition of stakeholdersвЂ™ needs and expectations towards the investment project в–Є Planned activities for fostering stakeholder engagement and their objectives в–Є Foreseen communication instruments в–Є Timing of implementation of planned engagement activities	2.5
3.2	Overall, is the strategy for stakeholder engagement clearly described?	1.25
3.3	Overall, does the stakeholder engagement strategy seems thoroughly thought and appropriate for the development of the investment concept?	1.25
4	Coherence and plausibility Quality threshold: 1.5/3	3
4.1	Is the application thoroughly filled and its content coherent and plausible?	1.5
4.2	Are the expected investment size and impacts in energy savings and renewable energy generation coherent and realistic in relation to the proposed investment project, the local context and the other submitted applications in the regional call?	1.5
4.3	Is there identical or similar content in the application form compared to other applications submissions in the same call? (This evaluation question is not scored. Applications with identical or similar content to other applications submitted in the call cannot be considered for EUCF support and will be rejected in case both evaluators answer YES to this evaluation question.)	0
TOTAL POSSIBLE SCORE		20

7.7 How are applications selected?

In each regional call, the best scored applications fitting the available budget are selected for EUCF support. Applications that do not meet the quality threshold of 50% of the total possible points in one of the criteria two, three and four cannot be selected and are not included in the regional ranking. The quality threshold does not apply for evaluation criterion one (Ambition of the proposed investment project).

In case of more than one application with the same final score at the end of the regional ranking, the application with the higher total impacts per capita will be selected, considering the expected impacts in energy savings and renewable energy generation indicated in the application form.

7.8 How long does it take to receive the evaluation results?

The evaluation process takes approximately two months from the end of the respective call. After this period, applicants will be informed about the final result.

7.9 How are applicants informed about the final results?

After the evaluation process is concluded, applicants are informed by email about the final results with corresponding feedback through a feedback report in the EUCF website user zone.

Any questions/complaints on the outcome of the final results can be raised within 10 working days from the date the notification email is sent.

7.10 What are the next steps in case the application is selected?

As a next step, successful applicants conclude a Grant Agreement to receive EUCF support. The time period foreseen for the preparation and signature of the Grant Agreement is two months as of the day when the successful applicant(s) was/were informed about its/their selection for the EUCF support. After the signature of the Grant Agreement each applicant has a period of up to 12 months to develop the investment concept.

If the successful applicant fails to sign the EUCF Grant Agreement within the given period, the EUCF reserves the right to annul the “awarding decision”, whereby consequently, an agreement with such applicant shall not be concluded, i.e., such applicant shall not be awarded with the respective financial support.

If applications with a higher ranking drop out or fail to sign the EUCF Grant Agreement, the next applicant originally placed on the regional waiting list, i.e. the next application in the region with the highest score in the evaluation, will be contacted by email. The applicant will have 10 (ten) working days to express its interest in proceeding to the signature of the EUCF Grant Agreement. In case of more than one application with the same final score at the end of the regional ranking, the application with the higher total impacts per capita will be selected, considering the expected impacts in energy savings and renewable energy generation indicated in the application form.

In parallel to the process of signature of the Grant Agreement, Country Experts organise a conference call with their respective beneficiaries for a capacity needs assessment to better understand the planned activities and to identify the needs for support to develop the investment concept.

7.11 What happens in case the application is unsuccessful?

Unsuccessful applications can seek support from the EUCF Helpdesk as well as from their respective Country Experts on how the application could be improved.

Applications with scores above the quality threshold are placed on a joint waiting list including applicants from the three regional calls. These applicants might be invited to the Grant Agreement preparation if applications with a higher ranking drop out or fail to sign the EUCF Grant Agreement. They will be informed accordingly.

7.12 Can I appeal for the EUCF to reconsider the decision of the evaluation team?

Any questions/complaints on the outcomes of the evaluation can be raised within 10 working days from the date the notification email is sent. After this period any appeals on the evaluation results cannot be considered anymore. Questions or complaints on the outcomes of the evaluation and provided feedback can be sent through the EUCF Helpdesk.

8. Grant Agreement

8.1 Which information is provided in the Grant Agreement?

The Grant Agreement sets out the terms of the relation between the beneficiary and Energy Cities, the coordinator of the EUCF, defining roles and responsibilities, milestones, and the timeline for the development of the investment concept. Moreover, the Grant Agreement determines the disbursement of the EUCF grant and requires the beneficiary to commit to the EUCF monitoring period in the implementation phase of the investment concept. A template of the Grant Agreement will be provided on the EUCF website.

8.2 What is the timeline for the signature of the EUCF grant agreement?

The timeline for preparation and signature of the EUCF Grant Agreement is two months as of the day when the successful applicant(s) was/were informed about its/their selection for the EUCF support.

8.3 How is the EUCF grant paid?

The grant amount will be disbursed as follows:

Pre-financing of 65% of the total amount at the Grant Agreement signature;
Final payment of 35% of the total amount after positive validation of the investment concept.

8.4 How is the Grant Agreement signed by a grouping of municipalities/local authorities?

8.5 Are there any activities planned with successful selected applicants during the process of signature of the Grant Agreement?

Yes, in parallel to the preparation and signature of the Grant Agreement Country Experts organise conference calls with the selected beneficiaries of their respective countries and the EUCF core management team. The goal of the conference call with selected applicants is to better understand their proposed investment project and identify the needs for support to develop the investment concept.

8.6 Where can I find a template of the EUCF Grant Agreement?

A template of the Grant Agreement applying for the beneficiaries of different EUCF calls can be found in the EUCF website under the section Documents.

9. Investment Concept

10. Validation and Implementation of Investment Concept

10.1 How is the investment concept validated?

More information about the process and criteria of validation of the investment concepts will be published soon on the EUCF website.

10.2 Who validates the investment concepts developed by EUCF beneficiaries?

The investment concepts developed by EUCF beneficiaries are validated by a dedicated team of evaluators from adelphi and Enviros (the partners Energy Cities, Climate Alliance, FEDARENE, ICLEI-Europe and GNE Finance are not involved in the validation process).

10.3 Which support activities are provided to EUCF beneficiaries after the validation of the investment concept?

Following the support activities during the development of the investment concept, the second set of support accompanies the implementation of the investment concepts and aims at bringing in touch EUCF beneficiaries with the investor community. The EUCF accompanies the implementation process by supporting the engagement process with potential investors as well as roadshows and matchmaking events. Moreover, theEUCF Helpdesk is available for beneficiaries to address the EUCF team in case of questions regarding the implementation of the investment concept, the procedures for monitoring and reporting and the potential aggregation/joint procurement of projects.

10.4 Are EUCF beneficiaries required to report on how they have employed the EUCF grant?

No. EUCF beneficiaries are not required to report to the EUCF Team on the use of the grant. The EUCF grant is disbursed as a lump sum to finance the activities necessary for the development of the investment concept. These, however, do not need to be communicated and financially reported to the EUCF. Information on the activities funded by the grant will be collected for monitoring purposes only.

10.5 What are the monitoring procedures

The EUCF monitoring period has a duration of two years, in which the implementation of the investment concept is supervised and documented. During this period, EUCF beneficiaries are required to report on the implementation of the investment concept by submitting two simple monitoring forms. The monitoring form is submitted after one and two years of the submission of the investment concept in the EUCF website user zone. More information about the monitoring process will be published soon on the EUCF website.

10.6 How does the EUCF support the advertising of beneficiaries’ investment concepts to potential investors?

To connect with financial stakeholders and facilitate the financing of the investment concepts developed within the EUCF is the ultimate goal of the support to beneficiaries. Financial stakeholders can be national or foreign commercial banks, public authorities, individual investors, financial institutions, investment banks and investment funds. In order to support the outreach for investors, the EUCF will organise outlook reports to provide interested investors with a preview of the investment projects proposed by EUCF beneficiaries as well as roadshows and matchmaking activities to connect municipalities/local authorities, groupings and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities to potential investors.

More information about the activities foreseen for the phase of implementation of the investment concepts developed within the EUCF will be published on the EUCF website soon.

Investment sector	Description	Intended measures
Public buildings (incl. social-rental and public housing)	Measures aimed at improving energy efficiency in public buildings through the reduction of energy use for heating and cooling, ventilation, lighting and hot water demands as well as reducing electricity consumption of equipment and appliances. Public buildings are those owned by the municipality, including schools, community centres, libraries, courts, information centres and government buildings as well social-rental and public housing.	Renovation of public buildings, including measures such as: Insulation of outside walls, roof and cellar Replacement of windows Replacement of ventilation system Replacement of inefficient systems for heating, cooling and hot water Replacement of inefficient light sources within the building Upgrade of existing equipment and appliances Integration of renewable energy technologies, e.g. PV or solar thermal systems
Private non-residential buildings	Measures aimed at improving energy efficiency in private non-residential buildings through the reduction of energy use for heating and cooling, ventilation, lighting and hot water demands as well as reducing electricity consumption of equipment and appliances. Private non-residential buildings are those owned by a private person and wherein no portion occupied or used for human habitation, i.e. buildings used for commercial and industrial purposes.	Renovation of private non-residential buildings, including measures such as: Insulation of outside walls, roof and cellar Replacement of windows Replacement of ventilation system Replacement of inefficient systems for heating, cooling and hot water Replacement of inefficient light sources within the building Upgrade of existing equipment and appliances Integration of renewable energy technologies, e.g. PV or solar thermal systems
Private residential buildings	Measures aimed at improving energy efficiency in private residential buildings through the reduction of energy use for heating and cooling, ventilation, lighting and hot water demands as well as reducing electricity consumption of equipment and appliances. Private residential buildings are those owned by a private person and which provide for dwelling purposes. Residential buildings are used for housing and include the necessary facilities and utilities to satisfy the living requirements of its residents.	Renovation of private residential buildings, including measures such as: Insulation of outside walls, roof and cellar Replacement of windows Replacement of ventilation system Replacement of inefficient systems for heating, cooling and hot water Replacement of inefficient light sources within the building Upgrade of existing equipment and appliances Integration of renewable energy technologies, e.g. PV or solar thermal systems
Building integrated renewables	Solutions aimed at integrating renewable energy systems, such as solar photovoltaics and solar thermal collectors or biomass plants, into the building in order to produce renewable energy and reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions across the building lifecycle.	Building integrated photovoltaic systems Building integrated solar thermal systems Biomass based power plant for building energy system
District heating and cooling networks	Any measures aimed at improving the efficiency of district heating and cooling networks and integrating low-carbon energy sources into the heating and cooling energy mix.	Renovation of existing district heating and/or cooling network to improve energy efficiency Switch to renewable energy sources, such as biomass, geothermal, solar thermal, wood energy, biogas, green hydrogen, etc. Integration of secondary heat sources, e.g. from industrial processes, household waste incineration, data centres, metro, wastewater, etc. Digitalisation of existing network, e.g. for reducing network’s temperature Improvement of components of the existing network
Sustainable urban mobility	Measures aimed at reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the local transportation and mobility sector. Sustainable urban mobility measures contribute to reducing the environmental footprint of transportation activities and have a positive effect on society, reducing traffic congestion and air pollution and improving access to public transport and sustainable and/or non- motorized transport modes	Expansion of sustainable public transport modes, e.g. e-buses, vehicle integrated photovoltaics Development of infrastructure for road transport electrification, e.g. charging stations, e-road systems, electricity and hydrogen power capacity Charging infrastructure for e-mobility in publicly accessible buildings Port electrification, e.g. charging facilities in ports and hybrid and electric ships
Innovative energy infrastructure	Innovative energy technologies and implementation schemes designed to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy production	Citizen energy communities Circular economy models, such as wastewater treatment plants Innovative renewable energy solutions, such as hydrogen infrastructure Smart grid development Energy storage innovation Digitalisation for integration of renewables and energy saving measures Systemic innovation solutions that potentialize synergies among different innovations across various components of the system
Renewable energy production infrastructure	Measures aimed at the renovation of existing infrastructure or development and implementation of new infrastructure for the production of renewable energy. Renewable energy is energy from renewable resources that are naturally replenished, such as bioenergy, geothermal energy, hydrogen, marine energy, solar energy and wind energy	Installation of renewable energy production systems, such as: Biomass systems Solar photovoltaics power plants Geothermal power plants Combined heat and power (CHP) Onshore wind turbines Offshore wind turbines Tidal power Hydrogen plants
Public lighting	Measures aimed at improving energy efficiency in public and street lighting systems. Reliable public lighting technologies can contribute to reducing accidents and crimes, allowing for economic activities to take place during the evening as well as reduce energy consumption and operation and maintenance costs.	Replacement of inefficient light sources by more efficient ones in street lighting and traffic signals. Improvement of control systems for public and street lighting Integration of renewable energy sources in street lighting systems, e.g. solar photovoltaic.

FAQ

Helpdesk

National Support

Web Based FAQ

1. Identification of the applicant

2. Political commitments

3. Proposed investment project

4. Use of EUCF support

Mandatory Annexes