Canada and the European-Union (EU) are like-minded partners with a shared ambition to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. In particular, Canada and the European Commission have a long history of cooperation in the energy sector, principally through the Canada-EU High Level Energy Dialogue (HLED). Since 2007, HLED has enabled collaboration on a range of important energy sector issues, including energy efficiency.

In June 2017, Canada and the EU committed to share policy experiences and best practices on the topic of energy efficiency in buildings through a workshop on mandatory energy disclosure and labelling. In March 2020, Canada and the EU build upon that relationship by jointly hosting a workshop on energy efficient solutions in buildings at all levels of governance to address the climate challenge. It was organized by the European Commission and Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN), within the framework of the Specific Partnerships for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement (SPIPA).

Despite the limitations of the pandemic, the Canada-EU partnership to advance energy efficiency in buildings has continued. This is especially relevant, since both Canada and the EU have put in place ambitious actions to accelerate building retrofits and create jobs. Hosted by BPIE, the Canada-EU Exchange held a series of five webinars in 2021, which ran monthly from March until July. Each webinar brought together experts and participants from across Canada and the European Union and Member States – ranging from all levels of governments to academia, to industry associations and the private sector – all working to advance energy efficiency in the building sector.

The webinars covered selected building policies and programmes, their implementation, best practices, and innovative policies across Canada and EU Member States:

Webinar 1: Investing in a climate-neutral recovery (March 9, 2021)

Webinar 2: Pathways to 2050: Deep dive into strategies to boost building renovation (April 20, 2021)

Webinar 3: Supporting local action on energy efficiency (May 18, 2021)

Webinar 4: Financing and business models that deliver (June 15, 2021)

Webinar 5: Data that informs energy efficiency policy (July 6, 2021)