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Scrisoare deschisă

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Real estate investors, construction industry and students in Romania support ambitious energy efficiency target for EU Climate Energy 2030 package

The Romania Green Building Council (RoGBC) and EFdeN, Romania's team for the Solar Decathlon Europe international green building competition for university students prepared and delivered a position paper to Prime Minister Victor Viorel Ponta and Ministries of the Romanian Government to support binding energy efficiency target as part of the European Union's Climate Energy 2030 package. The position paper explains that the most active real estate investors on the market welcome a clear and ambitious target and have already demonstrated significant progress and success to show this target is reachable and beneficial. In addition, Romania's architects, engineers, technology and materials providers, financial institutions and government institutions are ready to achieve the building performance necessary to support a significant shift toward a green economy.

Mihai Toader-Pasti, Project Manager of EFdeN stated "People are getting more and more interested in living in a healthy environment which is what we, RoGBC and the partners involved are trying to build. In 2014 edition of Solar Decathlon Europe worldwide competition, the Romanian team was the only one participating from Eastern Europe. We strongly believe that Romania as a country could be in forefront of this ambitious effort towards green economy and energy efficiency for a better and brighter future, for Romania and for the European Union."

"We have every reason to be confident Romania can join those Member States of the European Union most advanced in energy efficiency and green buildings. We have the knowledge, the innovation, the valuable human capital and the economic resources provided by the private sector. The most advanced technologies and materials have been used in the development of buildings with a very high level of energy efficiency and sustainability. All elements of this puzzle have been implemented successfully in various innovative, high quality projects. We just need to put the pieces together to build buildings of excellence which will represent a model for demonstrating today that we can meet the EU requirements for Net Zero Energy Buildings in 2020 and an ambitious energy efficiency target for 2030." said Monica Ardeleanu, Ph.D. Director of Development and Policy at Romania Green Building Council.

"It is clear that a growing number of companies in the construction and real estate industries see the benefits of raising the environmental performance of our buildings. Many of these green building pioneers in Romania have acted voluntarily to exceed today's building standards and now have some of the most successful real estate projects delivered on the Romanian market." said Steven Borncamp, CEO of the Romania Green Building Council.

Interested persons can download the position paper in Romanian and English and learn more about the EU's 2030 Climate Energy strategy . Organizations with legal presence in Romania interested to be added to an appendix of additional supporters should send their company name, name of representative and title to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 15 October. A social media campaign to allow individuals to show their support by signing a petition will be launched today.

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RoGBC Letter requesting Binding Targets for Climate Energy in 2030

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National Renovation Strategies: Sending a Strong Signal to Investors

In a position paper released on 31 January 2013, the Europe Regional Network has called on European policy makers to send a strong signal to the investment community about the building renovation agenda.
As leaders prepare for the EU Budget summit on 7-8 February, and debate on the future of the EU's carbon market continues, the Network has highlighted a challenge that member states are just starting to discuss: establishing long-term national strategies to mobilise investment in building renovation, in accordance with the new Energy Efficiency Directive.
With just over a year to establish the first national renovation strategies, matching strong public funding programmes with the private capital needed to unlock the energy reduction potential across Europe's buildings will be crucial. Leaders now have the opportunity to earmark EU funding for energy efficiency and renewables in buildings, as well as to strengthen and utilise revenues from the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) to back national renovation programmes.

Chair of the Network's Policy Task Force, Ana Cuhna of France GBC, said:

"The scale of investment needed to improve our buildings is huge, but so are the opportunities for our economies. We will only take advantage of these multiple opportunities if we signal to investors that this is an agenda governments are serious about. France has committed to an ambitious renovation programme of half a million homes per year, and to linking EU ETS revenues to this. We'd like to see more countries follow this example, but with the price of carbon at an all-time low, interventions are clearly needed to support the price of carbon if we are to scale-up renovation activity."

Senior Policy Advisor to the Network, James Drinkwater, said:

"Over the coming months we will be working with governments and stakeholders from around Europe on how they approach the challenge of creating national renovation strategies. Governments need to start this year by sending a signal to the investment community that this is an agenda that governments are invested in for the long-term. The Budget summit and EU ETS reforms are the right places to start".

NOTES:

Article 4 of the Energy Efficiency Directive (Directive 2012/27/EU) requires that countries establish a long-term strategy to mobilise investment in the renovation of the national stock of residential and commercial buildings, both public and private, by April 2014.
The Building Performance Institute Europe's analysis of deep renovation scenarios of Europe's building stock demonstrated the potential for net energy cost savings is as much as €1,300 billion (Buildings Under Microscope).
A Copenhagen Economics report commissioned by Renovate Europe showed that investment in building retrofits, given current high levels of unemployment across Europe, could have a positive effect on public budgets equivalent to 0.5% - 1% of GDP (Multiple Benefits Of EE Renovations in Buildings).

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Position paper: National Renovation Strategies: Sending a Strong Signal to Investors

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EU Ecolabel for Buildings

"The initiative to develop an Ecolabel for Office Buildings within the European Union represents a part of the Sustainable Consumption and Production policy. The primary goal for this Ecolabel is reducing the environmental impacts of office buildings by increasing their performance. A building awarded with a EU Ecolabel should meet the environmental and performance standards of the current 10-20% best products in the market. They will have to comply with specific environment criteria such as energy consumption, water and waste management, indoor air quality and well-being, selection of construction materials. The development of this Ecolabel is pending."

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Position paper on Ecolabel

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"Green House" program

The "National Program for Modernizing and Replacing Existing Heating Systems with New Solutions that use Renewable Energy Sources and Lead to an Improvement of Air, Water and Soil Quality" ("Green House" Program) grants yearly non-reimbursable co-finance (the total amount for 2009 is of RON 310,000) from the Fund for Environment, for replacing or complementing the classical heating systems, with systems using solar, geothermal and wind energy, or with other systems which lead to improvement air, water and soil quality due to avoiding the using of fossil fuels.

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Position paper with suggestions on how to improve the program

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Sent Report with Best practices on fiscal and financial measures to encourage usage of RES for producing thermal energy to the Environment Fund Administration

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Comments to the existing Guide

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Thermal Rehabilitation Program

A multi-annual government program for thermal rehabilitation of old communist blocks of apartments, built between 1950-1990. The state support is addressed to owners associations and covers 80% of the costs of the projects.

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Comments on the Ordinance 18/2009 presented to Ms. Sulfina Barbu

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Report with suggestions on encouraging usage of ecological construction materials

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Position Paper – Romania and Climate Change Policies

The document, entitled "Romania and Climate Change Policies – Economic Stimulus from a Green Economy", draws the attention on the economic opportunities associated with the implementation of environment policies, especially in the construction field. Some of the opportunities highlighted are the reducing energy costs, ensuring energy safety, raising comfort and creating new jobs.

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Organized a press conference on the 17th of September

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Sent the document to Ministries, Romanian Parliament, Political Parties, ANRE, ARCE

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Feedback received from ANRE

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Local Measures for Attracting Investments in Green Buildings

Romania Green Building Council has created a strategy with local measures that could be implemented by local public authorities for attracting green investments.

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Initiative realized with the support of Badea Clifford Chance

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Presentation of the results of the survey within the conference organized by the Association of Romanian Municipalities Sent to over 100 local public authorities

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Energy Performance of Buildings Directive

It is considered to be the main legislative instrument that supports and regulates the development of energy efficient buildings. Also known as the "EU legislation for green buildings", EPBD was transposed in the Romanian legislation through Law 372/2005. Because the law does not clearly regulate and divide responsibilities among the different groups involved in the implementation process (public authorities, final beneficiaries, other groups such as energy auditors or public notaries), at the moment, at a national level, the Law no. 372/2005 is still poorly implemented.

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Position paper on adopting a stronger version of EPBD – sent before final negotiation at the European level. The letter was addressed to Ms Adriana Ticau, representatives of Permanent Mission of Romania to the European Union, to the Romanian Ministry of Environment, Romanian Ministry of Regional Development, Public Works and Housing and to the Romanian Ministry of Economy.

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Ecologic label for buildings

The European Commission coordinated an effort to put together a "Commission Decision on establishing the ecological criteria for the award of the Community Eco-Label for Buildings". The first draft was created and sent to the Member States for feedback and comments. RoGBC participated at the workgroup organized by the Romanian Ministry of Environment and also sent a list with suggestions and comments on the draft document.

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Comments on the EC Decision sent to Ministry of Environment Workgroup at the Ministry of Environment to support the comments.