Within the EU budget 2014-2020, the next generation of European Structural and Investment Funds comprises a minimum of €23 billion to catalyse the ‘shift to a low-carbon economy’. A mixture of different financing instruments provided by these European funds can support local governments, communities, local actions groups and other stakeholders to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in their communities.
These policy recommendations propose mechanisms for the mobilisation of public-private financing for community based sustainable energy projects in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Latvia and Slovakia.