LIFE shows the path to energy efficiency at C4E Forum

Improved energy efficiency in Europe’s buildings will lower bills, cut carbon emissions and boost the EU’s autonomy, a major conference attended by more than 20 LIFE projects heard. The Central and Eastern European Energy Efficiency (C4E) Forum 2025 – held in Cavtat, Croatia, on 20-23 May – focused on reducing the energy required to heat, cool, light and power buildings across the region. Several LIFE projects were there to showcase their work and contributions towards this goal.‘The energy efficiency potential of the building sector is massive’, Dubravka Šuica, European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, told the conference in a video address. ‘Lower energy consumption means a higher level of energy security. It has a geostrategic advantage – having to import less energy. This strengthens our autonomy and our economic stability’.  Refurbishing existing infrastructure will be crucial if EU Member States are to meet the target of completely decarbonising their buildings by 2050, as set out in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and the revised Energy Efficiency Directive (EED). According to Adrien Bullier, a senior project advisor at the European Commission’s Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), meeting the 2030 energy efficiency targets will require additional investments of €165 billion per year, a large share of which will be dedicated to building renovation. 10-20% of that investment can be expected to come from public...