The Energy Efficiency Hub for SMEs has been created during the project EE4HORECA and will be further developed during the EcoSMEnergyEcoSMEnergy project, both projects being funded by the European Life programme. The idea behind the hub is to bring European projects and their services and activities closer to the target group of SMEs.
The European projects introduced by the Energy Efficiency hub represent activities to achieve the goals of the European Green Deal and thus support companies on their way to reduce their emissions and to become more innovative and competitive on the global market.The projects offer valuable services and tools for SMEs of different sectors. 99 per cent of European businesses are SMEs, making them central to Europe’s drive to innovate and become more sustainable.
With the European Green Deal the 27 EU Member States committed to avoid all net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. To achieve this, additional intermediate goals were set, like at least 55% emission reduction by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. The Net-Zero Industry Act of 2023 as part of the Green Deal aims at increasing the application of clean technologies and creating green jobs and better conditions to set up net-zero projects in Europe. The Green Industrial Plan includes the following improvements:
- “Predictable and simplified regulatory environment
- Faster access to funding
- Enhancing skills
- Facilitating open and fair trade for resilient supply chains” (The European Green Deal Factsheet, European Union, October 2023)