Concerted Action EPBD

About the project

The Concerted Action EPBD (CA EPBD) addresses the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). It aims to contribute to the reduction of energy use in European buildings through the exchange of knowledge and best practices in the field of energy efficiency and energy savings between all 27 EU member states plus Norway.

What is the Concerted Action EPBD?

The CA EPBD is a joint initiative between the EU member states and the European Commission. It involves representatives of national ministries or their affiliated institutions who are in charge of preparing the technical, legal and administrative framework for the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive in each EU member state plus Norway. The objective is to enhance the sharing of information and experiences from national adoption and implementation of this important European legislation.

CA EPBD was officially launched in 2005 and came to a close in June 2007. A second phase followed immediately after and was followed by a third phase from 2011 to 2015, a fourth phase from 2015 to 2018 and a fifth phase from 1 May 2018 to 31 October 2022. The current sixth phase officially commenced in November 2022 and will run until 31 October 2027 with the aim to transpose and implement the EPBD amended Directive 2018/844/EU and the revised EPBD adopted in 2024.

Participating countries and organisations

35%

of EU's energy-related greenhouse gas emissions come from the buildings sector

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive

The EPBD is a cornerstone in EU legislation and was developed to realise the energy savings potential in buildings as they account for around 40% of energy consumption in the EU and 35% of the energy-related green house gas emissions ((European Environment Agency, Eurostat, 2021). Full and efficient transposition of this directive is therefore central to achieving EU's energy savings and carbon emission targets.

The EPBD is considered a significant legislative component in EU energy efficiency policy and was adopted in 2002 to contribute to the Kyoto commitment and securing energy supply and competitiveness.

The EPBD was first introduced in 2002 and has since been updated in 2010, 2018 and more recently in 2024 to meet ambitious new targets in order to achieve a highly energy efficient and decarbonised building stock by 2050.

What our participants say

Our participants generally rate the plenary meetings and individual sessions favourably.

When I come back from the CA EPBD plenary meetings, I feel energised. It's great to talk to colleagues in the other member states, who experience many of the same challenges we do and can offer a different perspective or new ideas.

- National Expert

The informal discussions with the Commission help us get a much deeper understanding of the directive.

- National Contact

Organisation

The Danish Energy Agency is the overall coordinator of the CA EPBD. The work in the CA EPBD is further organised around topics and Central Teams (CT) led by Central Team Managers. The Coordinator, Communication and Dissemination Manager, Central Team Managers and representatives from CINEA, the projector sponsor, form the Management Team responsible for the project and organisation of work streams and deliverables and topics for the Plenary Meetings in the CA EPBD.

The plenary meetings, which are the foundation of information exchange in the CA EPBD, regularly bring together over 120-150 participants. It is accompanied by other measures to faciliate information exchange and enhance communication, including a web platform and national reports.

Topics and central teams