Towards an effective implementation of key legislation in the field of sustainable energy

LIFE-2026 under the LIFE Clean Energy Transition programme funds Coordination and Support Actions to help Member States implement the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) or the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). Total indicative budget €4,500,000 with a recommended EU contribution up to €2,000,000 per proposal and a funding rate of 95% for Other Action Grants. Consortia must include at least three independent beneficiaries from three eligible countries and proposals should focus on one primary scope delivering capacity building, tools, methodologies and quantified impacts. The call opens 21 April 2026 and proposals must be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 16 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time.

What it funds

Grants to support Member States in implementing key EU sustainable energy legislation (Energy Efficiency Directive EED or Energy Performance of Buildings Directive EPBD). Funded activities include technical advice, capacity building for public authorities, development and application of monitoring and accounting methodologies, data tools, and exchange of best practice to improve implementation and reporting.

Recommended EU contribution:The Commission considers up to €2,000,000 per proposal appropriate; the topic’s indicative total budget is €4,500,000 ¹.

Who can apply

Consortia of organisations (public authorities, agencies, NGOs, research bodies, consultancies, etc.) able to provide policy support, tools and methodologies.

Mandatory consortium rule

Proposals must be submitted by at least 3 independent applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) established in 3 different eligible countries. Focus on either Scope A (EED) or Scope B (EPBD); cross-cutting approaches allowed if justified.

Financial details & rate

Form of grant:LIFE Project Grant (Other Action Grant). Funding rate: 95% of eligible costs. Expected EU contribution per project: up to €2 million is considered appropriate but other amounts may be proposed.

Key dates

1. 1Call opening: 21 April 2026
2. 2Deadline (Brussels time): 16 September 2026, 17:00
3. 3Submission via EU Funding & Tenders Portal

Scope highlights

1. 1Scope A (EED): energy efficiency first, public sector targets, energy savings obligation schemes, comprehensive heating and cooling assessments, energy audits/EMS
2. 2Scope B (EPBD): practical implementation (renovation instruments, roll-out of building data tools, public awareness), support for national/regional transposition and rollout

Basic eligibility & selection points

1. 1Minimum consortium: 3 beneficiaries from 3 different eligible countries
2. 2Proposal must choose and justify one primary scope (A or B)
3. 3Projects must quantify results for the project end and 5 years after (policy uptake, public authority capacity, energy and GHG indicators)
4. 4Applicants must follow submission, admissibility and eligibility rules in the call documentation

Where to apply

Submit the full application through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Use the LIFE application templates and follow the Call Document and Online Manual for admissibility, eligibility, and evaluation procedures EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Footnotes

1. 1Topic budget and detailed conditions are in the LIFE-2026-CET call fiche and topic fiche on the Portal: consult the call documentation for full details and annexes LIFE Clean Energy Transition call.

Call overview and objective

Call title:LIFE Clean Energy Transition (LIFE-2026-CET). Topic identifier: LIFE-2026. Type of action: LIFE Project Grants, Other Action Grants (OAGs) — Coordination and Support Actions. Opening date 21 April 2026. Single-stage call. Deadline for submission: 16 September 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Funding rate: 95% (OAGs). Indicative Commission guidance indicates proposals requesting up to €2 million from the EU are appropriate for the topic, but other amounts are possible. The topic aims to support Member States in the effective implementation of key sustainable energy legislation, notably the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), by providing capacity building, tools, methodologies, monitoring, guidance and cross-border exchange of best practice.

Scope and expected impacts

Proposals must address one of two scopes and clearly state which in the proposal introduction. Scope A: Support for implementation of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED). Key areas include Energy Efficiency First principle, public sector roles and mapping, energy savings obligations and schemes, comprehensive heating and cooling assessments and local heating and cooling plans, and EED Art.11 on audits and energy management. Scope B: Support for implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). Focus areas include awareness raising to increase renovations, implementation of EPBD policy tools for transition to climate-neutral building stock, and optimal roll-out of building data and information tools such as EPCs, Renovation Passports, Digital Building Logbooks and Indoor Environmental Quality instruments. Proposals should deliver quantified results at project end and for five years after project end using topic-specific and common LIFE-CET indicators such as primary and final energy savings (GWh/year), renewable energy generation (GWh/year), GHG reduction (tCO2-eq/year) and investments triggered (EUR million).

Mandatory consortium composition:Proposals must be submitted by at least 3 independent applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from 3 different eligible countries. Beneficiaries must be from the eligible countries listed in the call document and participant register. The coordinator role and distribution of tasks/payments must be defined; the coordinator manages submission, reporting and communication with the Agency. ¹

Detailed extraction: eligibility, funding and administrative rules

Eligible applicant types

The call accepts a wide range of legal entities as beneficiaries. Typical eligible applicant types include: public authorities and administrations, universities and higher education institutions, research institutes, non-profit organisations and NGOs, SMEs and large enterprises, energy agencies, utilities, professional associations, local and regional authorities, public-private partnerships, and other legal entities established in eligible countries. Natural persons are not usual beneficiaries for LIFE Project Grants. Affiliated entities and associated partners can participate under conditions set out in the grant agreement. Specific eligibility of entity types and countries is described in section 6 of the Call document and the Participant Register.

Funding type:Primary mechanism: grant. Type of grant: Other Action Grants (OAGs) for Coordination and Support Actions, budget-based LIFE Action Grant under the LIFE-PJG instrument. Funding modality is budget-based with detailed budget table and flat-rate elements for operating grants where applicable.

Consortium requirement:Consortium required: minimum three independent beneficiaries from three different eligible countries. Call is single-stage; full proposals must include administrative Part A and narrative Part B plus annexes.

Beneficiary geographic eligibility:Geographic eligibility: countries listed in section 6 of the call document. This includes EU Member States and countries associated to the LIFE Programme. The call documentation and Participant Register provide the definitive eligible country list; applicants must verify eligibility for each beneficiary before submission.

Target sector:Primary thematic focus: Clean energy transition, energy efficiency, buildings and built environment, sustainable heating and cooling, public administration capacity building and policy implementation support. Relevant sectors: energy policy and governance, buildings/renovation, heating and cooling planning, energy auditing and management systems, measurement and verification methodologies, data and digital building information management.

Mentioned countries:The opportunity text explicitly references EU Member States and Member States associated to the LIFE Programme. The direct documents reference the EU and the Commission; specific eligible country list is referred to section 6 of the call document and Participant Register. No single Member State is singled out in the topic description.

Project stage (expected maturity):Expected maturity: policy implementation, capacity building, monitoring, methodological development, demonstration of approaches and support tools. Projects are not technology R&D. Appropriate maturity ranges: development, validation, demonstration, public-sector capacity building and pre-commercial/policy roll-out readiness.

Funding amount and scale:Indicative project size: Commission considers proposals requesting EU contribution of up to €2 million appropriate for this topic. The LIFE-2026-CET topic budget line for POLICY has an indicative contribution pool of €4.5 million across the topic calls; multiple projects across LIFE-2026-CET topics have separate budgets. Funding rate: 95% for Other Action Grants (OAGs).

Application type and submission:Application type: open call, single-stage full proposal submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System. Applicants must use the specific LIFE application templates available in the Submission System. Proposals must be prepared and submitted electronically through the Portal; coordinator must ensure all partners are registered.

Nature of support:Beneficiaries receive monetary support (grant funding) to cover eligible costs at the funding rate; recipients also receive non-monetary services in the form of policy engagement, networking and capacity-building outcomes delivered by project activities.

Application stages:Number of stages: 1 (single-stage call). Applicants submit a full proposal (Part A administrative forms generated by the Submission System and Part B technical description uploaded as PDF plus annexes such as detailed budget table, participant information, complementary funding plan if applicable).

Success rates:Success rates are not published for this specific topic. Selection is competitive and subject to evaluation thresholds and ranking per the award criteria in the Call document. The budget pool for LIFE-2026 is indicative; number of awards depends on scoring and available funds.

Co-funding requirement:Co-funding: Yes. The grant funds up to 95% of eligible costs. Beneficiaries must provide the remaining co-financing (5% own or complementary funding) unless call documents state otherwise. Complementary funding plans and declarations are mandatory where specified (e.g. SIP/SNAP), and complementary financing sources must be described in annexes if required.

Evaluation, eligibility & administrative rules

Admissibility and eligibility conditions, page limits and layout are defined in the Call document and Part B Application Form template; Part A is auto-filled in the Portal. Financial and operational capacity checks apply per section 7 of the Call document. Evaluation follows the submission and evaluation processes in section 8 and award criteria, scoring and thresholds in section 9. The Model Grant Agreement is the LIFE MGA, Budget-Based LIFE Action Grant (LIFE-AG) with adaptations for OAGs. Applicants must consult the LIFE call document, the LIFE model grant agreement, portal Online Manual and the annotated grant agreement for full legal/financial obligations.

1. 1Documents required at submission: Part A (Portal), Part B (PDF technical description), Detailed budget table (LIFE template), Participant information sheet, Cofinancing declaration (if applicable), Complementary funding plan/declaration (if applicable), Maps/description of sites (if applicable).
2. 2Admissibility rules: page limits and format per Part B template; failure to respect page limits will make excess pages invisible to evaluators.
3. 3Eligible countries: see section 6 of the Call document and the Participant Register.
4. 4Evaluation and award: single-stage evaluation against relevance, impact and quality/efficiency and cost-effectiveness; thresholds and weighting described in the Call document (section 9).
5. 5Grant legal and financial set-up: LIFE Action Grant Budget-Based MGA, payment schedule and reporting obligations set in the Data Sheet and Model Grant Agreement; pre-financing, interim and final payments; prefinancing guarantee rules where applicable.

Application templates and structure (how the forms look)

Applicants must use the portal submission wizard to complete Part A administrative forms. Part B is prepared offline using the LIFE Standard Application Form template (Part B technical description) for SAP and OAG, or the specific templates for other action types. The Part B template is structured with Cover page, Project summary, Sections: 1 Relevance, 2 Impact, 3 Implementation (work plan and WPs), 4 Resources, 5 Other (ethics, security), 6 Declarations, plus Annexes. Detailed budget calculators (Excel) must be completed and uploaded. Specific annex templates include Participant information, Detailed budget table, Complementary funding plan and declaration, Maps and Description of sites if relevant. The portal provides submission templates and a validation facility. Page limits and formatting rules (A4, Arial 10, margins) apply.

Key compliance and technical requirements applicants must include

Applicants must:(1) Select and specify one scope (A EED or B EPBD) in the introduction; cross-cutting approaches allowed with justification. (2) Demonstrate concrete results, causal logic between activities, outputs and impacts, with a baseline and quantitative targets for end of project and five years after. (3) Include capacity building and tools for public administrations and stakeholders; show how methodologies will improve measurement, calculation, M&V, monitoring and reporting. (4) Provide indicators specific to proposed activities and the common LIFE-CET indicators. (5) Demonstrate political commitment and letters of support from targeted public authorities and stakeholders where appropriate. (6) Use the LIFE Part B template and budget calculators and provide the Participant Information annex for each beneficiary. (7) Respect eligibility and admissibility rules including minimum consortium composition, country eligibility and page limits.

Practical tips and technology/methodology details required

Methodologies and tools:proposals should develop, adapt and apply standardised or simplified assessment methodologies for Energy Efficiency First applications, data gathering and integrated calculation/accounting approaches, M&V protocols, digital building data tools (EPC, RP, DBL), modelling and evaluation approaches for cross-sector energy use and non-energy benefits in view of circular economy objectives. For Scope A, delivery examples include national guidance and tools for EED Art.25 comprehensive heating and cooling assessments, harmonised audit methods for EED Art.11, and assessment tools for Energy Efficiency First principle applications. For Scope B, delivery examples include roll-out plans and market uptake measures for Renovation Passports, enhanced EPC schemes, integration of SRI and IEQ where relevant, and support for digital building logbooks.

1. 1Applicants must quantify impacts at project end and five years post-project using the topic KPIs and any project-specific KPIs.
2. 2The proposal must evidence realistic baselines and show causality linking activities -> outputs -> results -> impacts.
3. 3If project includes pilot/demonstration actions, they must be implemented in real-life contexts and be replicable.
4. 4For projects proposing financial instruments or one-stop-shop business models, assess complementarity with other LIFE topics (PRIVAFIN, OSS, PDA) and national funds.

Call-specific administrative and legal documents

Applicants must consult and comply with:Call document (Call fiche and detailed call sections), LIFE Model Grant Agreement (LIFE MGA) and annexes, Application form templates and Detailed budget table (LIFE Excel), Participant Information template, Complementary funding plan and declaration templates where relevant, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual and Portal guidance documents. Model Grant Agreement options, pre-financing guarantee rules, certificate thresholds and reporting cycles are set in the LIFE MGA and the Data Sheet attached to the grant. The call includes links to the LIFE Multiannual Work Programme 2025-2027 and related regulations.

• Call document and Call fiche (LIFE-2026-CET Call)
• LIFE Model Grant Agreement (LIFE-AG budget-based) and Operating Grant Flat Rate MGA (if applicable)
• Application Form templates for LIFE SAP and OAG and other specific templates
• Detailed budget table (LIFE Excel)
• Participant Information template and Complementary Funding Plan and Declaration templates

How to apply and support resources

Start submission through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System by selecting the correct type of action and model grant agreement. Use the portal submission wizard to prepare Part A. Download the correct Part B template from the Submission System, complete and upload as PDF. Use the detailed budget table Excel to prepare budgets for all beneficiaries and affiliated entities. Consult the Online Manual, FAQs, LIFE guidance and engage National Contact Points for support. Partner search announcements can be published in the Portal.

Summary and recommended applicant actions

What this opportunity is about:This LIFE-2026 topic funds Coordination and Support Actions (Other Action Grants) that increase Member States’ implementation capacity for the Energy Efficiency Directive and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. Projects should be led by multi-country consortia (minimum three beneficiaries from three eligible countries) and deliver tools, guidance, methodologies, monitoring approaches, capacity building and documented policy uptake and improved implementation practices. Applicants should build strong public authority engagement, provide robust baselines and quantitative targets, include replicability and sustainability plans, use the LIFE templates and budget tools, and submit via the Funding & Tenders Portal by 16 September 2026.

Footnotes

1. 1Portal registration, the Participant Identification Code (PIC) validation and country eligibility must be checked in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. National Contact Points for LIFE and the Portal Online Manual provide application support and technical guidance on templates and submission.

Funding Opportunity Overview

This call for proposals supports Member States in implementing key EU energy legislation, specifically the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). The LIFE-2026 topic aims to bridge implementation gaps and strengthen capacity across public administrations responsible for delivering the EU's clean energy transition objectives.

Call Details

Programme:LIFE Clean Energy Transition (LIFE-2026-CET), part of the Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE)

Call Identifier:LIFE-2026

Opening Date:21 April 2026

Submission Deadline:16 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time

Submission Model:Single-stage submission

Funding Information

Total Budget Available:€4,500,000

Funding Rate:95% for Other Action Grants (OAGs)

Recommended Grant Size:Up to €2 million per proposal. The Commission considers this amount appropriate to address the specific objectives, though other amounts are not precluded.

Type of Action:LIFE Project Grants (LIFE-PJG) - Other Action Grants (OAGs) for Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs)

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Countries

Proposals must involve applicants from at least 3 different eligible countries. Eligible countries include all EU Member States and associated countries to the LIFE Programme. Non-EU countries are ineligible.

Consortium Requirements

• Minimum 3 applicants (beneficiaries, not affiliated entities) from 3 different eligible countries
• Each applicant must be a legal entity (public or private body)
• Applicants can be public authorities, research institutions, non-profit organisations, SMEs, or private companies
• Affiliated entities and associated partners may participate but do not count towards the minimum consortium requirement

Eligible Activities

Proposals must focus on supporting Member States in implementing either the Energy Efficiency Directive (Scope A) or the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (Scope B), but not both simultaneously unless coherence and added-value are clearly demonstrated.

Scope A: Energy Efficiency Directive Implementation

Actions under Scope A should address core provisions of the Energy Efficiency Directive, including at least one of the following areas:

• Energy Efficiency First principle: Supporting Member States in implementing this principle and developing standardised assessment methodologies, tools, benchmarks and processes for application in policy design, energy infrastructure planning, national policies, public support schemes, and investment decisions at regional and local levels
• Public sector role: Supporting Member States in developing strategies, mapping public buildings, and gathering data from public bodies to deliver specific public sector targets
• Energy Savings Obligations and Efficiency Obligation Schemes: Supporting design, implementation, calculation of contributions, and evaluation of measures
• Comprehensive Assessments for Heating and Cooling: Providing national guidance, tools, and structures to support regional and local authorities, developing heat transition governance, collecting data for heating transition planning, and ensuring coherence with local heating and cooling plans and National Building Renovation Plans
• Energy Audits and Energy Management Systems: Supporting implementation of EED Article 11 provisions, including harmonised audit methods across EU Member States and sectors to facilitate faster implementation of recommended measures

Scope B: Energy Performance of Buildings Directive Implementation

The EPBD aims to deliver energy efficiency, more affordable energy costs in buildings, and strengthen resilience. The transposition deadline is 29 May 2026. Actions under Scope B should address core provisions and practical implementation aspects, focusing on one of three areas:

• Public awareness and instrument effectiveness: Enhancing public awareness of EPBD benefits and improving effectiveness and coherence of instruments designed to increase renovation rates and depth
• EPBD policy tools implementation: Supporting implementation of all EPBD policy tools for transition to a climate-neutral building stock
• Building data and information tools: Supporting optimal roll-out of building data and information tools in the EPBD context

Expected Activities and Deliverables

Proposals should include activities to:

• Promote and enable exchange of insights and sharing of best practices within and across Member States
• Provide support, technical advice, and tools for implementing directive requirements according to national and regional contexts
• Support monitoring and evaluation of policy implementation
• Develop and apply methodologies to more accurately measure, calculate, and account for contributions under specific policy measures and programmes, including data gathering for the energy efficiency and buildings sector
• Develop integrated methodologies for areas addressed by different policies, including approaches for integrated data collection, calculation, verification, monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and modelling of energy and non-energy impacts

Expected Impact and Key Performance Indicators

Qualitative Impacts

Proposals should demonstrate contribution to the following outcomes, as relevant:

• Increased understanding and practical knowledge in public administrations implementing European energy legislation; improved collaboration of implementing bodies within and across Member States
• More effective implementation of provisions, including better planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of policy measures; more consistent implementation of legal provisions across energy legislation, energy policy, and energy sectors
• Use of appropriate tools and methods facilitating data availability and access; improved data quality in all end-use sectors and better monitoring; use of more accurate calculation and Measurement and Verification methodologies; improved quality of reporting; improved understanding and measurement of policy measure impacts and non-energy benefits, including circular economy considerations

Quantitative Indicators

Proposals should quantify results and impacts for the end of the project and for 5 years after project completion using the following indicators, where relevant:

• Number of public authorities with increased capacity and better access to information and data
• Number of public authorities and stakeholders using tools, resources, information, and data established and provided by the project
• Number of policy measures, implementing acts, and related documents improved by the project
• Number of monitoring and reporting tools and documents improved by the project
• Number of references in policy-relevant documents such as impact assessments and guidance documents
• Primary energy savings triggered by the project (GWh/year)
• Final energy savings triggered by the project (GWh/year)
• Renewable energy generation triggered by the project (GWh/year)
• Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (tCO2-eq/year)
• Investments in sustainable energy triggered by the project (cumulative, million Euro)

Proposals should also provide indicators specific to their proposed activities. Not all indicators need to be addressed; proposals should focus on those relevant to their activities.

Application Requirements and Documents

Mandatory Documents

• Application Form Part A (administrative information) - completed in the Portal Submission System
• Application Form Part B (technical description) - uploaded as PDF with annexes
• Detailed Budget Table - completed and uploaded
• Participant Information forms for all beneficiaries
• Letters of support from stakeholders demonstrating commitment (where applicable)
• Co-financing declaration (if applicable)

Application Form Structure

Part B of the application form should include:

• Project summary and abstract
• Relevance section: background, project objectives, compliance with LIFE objectives and call topic, concept and methodology
• Impact section: ambition of impacts, credibility of impacts, sustainability of results, exploitation of results, catalytic potential for replication and upscaling
• Implementation section: work plan, detailed work packages and activities, timetable, stakeholder engagement, impact monitoring and reporting, communication and dissemination strategy
• Resources section: consortium set-up, project management, green management, budget, risk management
• Declarations on ethics, security, and double funding

Page Limits and Formatting

• Maximum 200 pages for full proposal (Part B)
• Minimum font size: Arial 10 points
• Page size: A4
• Margins: at least 15 mm on all sides
• Supporting documents can be provided as annexes and do not count towards page limit
• Proposals exceeding page limits will have excess pages made invisible and disregarded by evaluators

Submission Process

All applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal (Funding & Tenders Portal) before the deadline of 16 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. Proposals submitted after the deadline will be rejected. The submission system will generate an automatic confirmation upon successful submission.

Evaluation and Award Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on award criteria specified in the call document, including relevance to the call objectives, quality of the proposed approach, expected impacts, implementation feasibility, and consortium capacity. Evaluation will be conducted by independent expert panels. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement signature is provided in the call document.

Key Contextual Information

This call addresses critical EU policy priorities. The Energy Efficiency Directive and Energy Performance of Buildings Directive are central to the EU's Fit for 55 package and REpowerEU Plan, designed to address EU competitiveness, energy security, housing affordability, greenhouse gas emission reduction, and resilience. ¹ Implementation challenges remain significant, with Member States facing delays in transposition and coherent implementation across governance levels. ² The call seeks to support capacity building, knowledge sharing, and development of practical tools and methodologies to accelerate effective implementation of these critical energy transition policies.

Support and Further Information

Applicants are encouraged to consult the following resources:the full Call document (LIFE-2026-CET), the Model Grant Agreement, the EU Grants Annotated Grant Agreement (AGA), the Funding and Tenders Portal Online Manual, and contact their National Contact Point (NCP) for guidance. The IT Helpdesk is available for technical questions regarding portal access and submission procedures.

Footnotes

1. 1The Energy Efficiency Directive (EU 2023/1791) and Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EU 2024/1275) are key legislative instruments under the Fit for 55 package and REpowerEU Plan, addressing energy security, competitiveness, and climate objectives.
2. 2Implementation analysis indicates that Member States face significant challenges in transposing and implementing EU energy legislation, including delays in transposition, partial compliance, and coordination difficulties across governance levels and policy areas.