LIFE-2026-PLP-ENER-COMPLIANCE

Ecodesign and energy labelling compliance support facility for suppliers and retailers

Status
open for submission
Programme
Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE)
Action type
LIFE Project Grants
Opens
21 Apr 2026
Deadline
22 Sep 2026
Fetched
15 Jul 2026, 07:18 UTC
Plain-language summary

Support facility to improve compliance with EU ecodesign and energy labelling laws for suppliers and retailers.

This call funds projects that help manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers understand and comply with EU ecodesign and energy labelling rules. It aims to increase product compliance and market transparency. Projects should provide proactive and reactive support, including help-lines and outreach activities.

Likely relevant for

  • Manufacturers of energy-related products
  • Suppliers and retailers in the EU market
  • Consumer associations
  • Market surveillance authorities
  • Standardisation bodies
  • European trade associations

Project signals

Capacity building for economic operatorsHelp-line or support services for compliancePromotion of EPREL and related resourcesOnline compliance spot checksMonitoring and impact measurement

What it funds

  • Establish a support facility for economic operators on ecodesign and energy labelling compliance
  • Provide reactive and proactive assistance including help-line services
  • Develop communication and dissemination strategies targeting manufacturers, suppliers, and dealers
  • Promote use of EPREL and other EU resources
  • Organize pilot online compliance spot checks with follow-up support
  • Ensure accessibility in national languages and coordinate with authorities

Expected outcomes

  • Increased understanding and compliance with ecodesign and energy labelling legislation
  • Higher number of economic operators engaged and informed
  • Primary energy savings and renewable energy generation triggered
  • Increased investments in sustainable energy renovation
  • Improved market surveillance and level playing field

Who can apply / participate

  • At least 3 independent applicants (beneficiaries) from different eligible countries
  • European organisations representing economic operators (suppliers, dealers)
  • European organisations representing public or non-profit sectors (consumer associations, standardisation bodies, market surveillance authorities)
  • Minimum 3 applicants from 3 different eligible countries
  • Consortium must include at least 5 partners representing suppliers and dealers covering at least two-thirds of EU Member States
  • At least 3 partners representing consumer associations, standardisation bodies, and market surveillance authorities covering at least two-thirds of EU Member States
  • Eligible countries as per LIFE programme rules
  • Focus on EU Member States and importers placing products on the EU market
  • Proposals must meet consortium composition and country eligibility requirements
  • Applicants must demonstrate access to technical and communication expertise
  • Specific eligible countries list must be checked in call document

Must check before shortlisting

  • Eligibility of applicant countries
  • Consortium composition requirements
  • Budget limits and funding rate
  • Alignment with call objectives and scope

Money

Up to EUR 2.5 million EU contribution available with a maximum funding rate of 90%.

  • Maximum EU contribution — 2,500,000EUR
    Commission considers this amount appropriate but other amounts may be submitted.

Application notes

  • Single-stage submission model.
  • Proposal page limits and layout as per call document section 5 and application form Part B.
  • Eligibility conditions as per call document section 6.
  • Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria as per call document section 7.
  • Evaluation and award criteria and process as per call document sections 8 and 9.
  • Legal and financial set-up as per call document section 10.
  • Prepare proposal following the specific application form for LIFE-2026-PLP-ENER-COMPLIANCE.
  • Consult FAQs and guidance documents provided on the LIFE website.
  • Engage with National Contact Points for support.
  • Submit proposal before the deadline 22 September 2026.
  • Ensure consortium meets minimum partner and country requirements.
  • Demonstrate technical and communication expertise in proposal.
  • Proposals must align closely with call objectives and scope.

Derived from official EU Funding portal source · updated 22 Jun 2026, 17:15 UTC. Use this as a shortlisting aid; the official call text remains authoritative.

Related calls

These funding calls are closely related and may be worth considering as part of the same funding landscape.

Official source text

Fine print from the EU source record. Expand when you need the original wording.

Topic description

Expected Impact: Proposals should present the concrete results which will be delivered by the activities and demonstrate how these results will contribute to the topic-specific impacts. This demonstration should rely on a solid analysis of the current situation, realistic assumptions and baselines, and establish clear causality links between proposed activities, results and impacts. In terms of qualitative impact, proposals under this topic should demonstrate how they will contribute to increased understanding of and compliance with EU ecodesign and energy labelling legislation by economic operators. In terms of quantitative impact, proposals should quantify their results and impacts using the indicators provided for the topic, when they are relevant for the proposed activities. Proposals are not expected to address all the listed impacts and indicators. The results and impacts should be quantified for the end of the project and for 5 years after the end of the project. The quantitative indicators for this topic include: Number of economic operators engaged and informed by actions aiming at improving their understanding of new legislative acts, at least 5 000 per million EUR of EU funding. Primary energy savings triggered by the project (in GWh/year). Renewable energy generation triggered by the project (in GWh/year). Investments in sustainable energy renovation triggered by the project (cumulative, in million Euro). Proposals should also provide indicators which are specific to their proposed activities. These impacts should be demonstrated during the project and within 5 years after the project lifetime. Specific consortium requirements: Proposals must be submitted by at least 3 applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from 3 different eligible countries. Expected project duration: Indicatively 36 months Maximum Funding rate and maximum EU contribution: Maximum funding rate: 90% The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 2.5 million would allow the specific objectives to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. Objective: Ecodesign and energy labelling [1] for energy-related products enjoy widespread support by suppliers, retailers, consumers and citizens. By eliminating worst performing products from the market and by providing relevant information on product sustainability and energy consumption, these policy instruments help consumers make better informed purchase decisions and create economic benefits for them, support producers to better promote and market their sustainable and energy efficient products and contribute to major EU policy objectives (Green Deal, EU energy independency etc.). However, non-compliance with the requirements remains a concern as a significant portion of products on the European market still fails to meet the information and performance requirements. Economic operators such as manufacturers, suppliers and (online) dealers (e.g. retailers, installers) too often lack awareness, knowledge or detailed understanding of the legislative provisions. In addition, recent policy reports such as the Letta [2] and Draghi [3] reports on the EU single market and competitiveness, but also the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products and Energy Labelling Working Plan 2025-2030 [4] highlight the importance of enforcing compliance with product legislation and effective market surveillance to ensure market integrity and a level playing field for economic operators active in the European market. The objective of this topic is to ultimately increase compliance of products on the European market with ecodesign and energy labelling requirements through proactive outreach to and engagement of economic operators fostering an improved understanding and implementation of product performance and information requirements and facilitating the uptake of (existing) resources available. Scope: The proposed action should establish a facility combining both reactive and proactive assistance to economic operators, in particular manufacturers, suppliers and (online) dealers (e.g. retailers, installers), through targeted and timely information to increase their awareness, knowledge and understanding of the relevant ecodesign and energy labelling regulations. Attention should be given to engaging small and medium-sized suppliers and dealers, for example, those not engaged in trade associations and/or located in remote areas. Proposals should cover at least the following with both a reactive and proactive approach: Raise the capacity of manufacturers, suppliers and (online) dealers (e.g. retailers, installers) on ecodesign and energy labelling requirements and developments through targeted and timely communication, dissemination and capacity building activities. Set-up a help-line service to address enquiries from economic operators (which are often too specific to be dealt with effectively by the Commission’s Europe Direct service). Questions for which no authoritative or clear answers exist yet may simply be acknowledged as such and “escalated” to the authorities. Develop and deploy effective communication and dissemination strategies and channels to target and reach out to relevant economic operators across the whole of Europe including importers who place products from third countries on the Union market. Disseminate, create and/or adapt existing technical guidance and promotional material, as necessary, for example, covering new (and revised) product groups by current and upcoming legislation. The proposed facility should not invent or take responsibility for interpretations of legislation or other formal guidance but rather support economic operators in accessing and applying relevant information and guidance and refer questions where no answers or guidance exists to the competent national authorities, including market surveillance authorities or the European Commission. Promote the use and uptake of EPREL - European Product Registry for Energy Labelling [5] amongst economic operators. In addition, promote the use of EPREL to the wider public and public authorities as a reference point for informed purchase decisions as well as a tool for bulk purchasers and for public procurement. Proposals are invited to outline their promotion strategy to this end. Promote relevant available guidance/resources such as the European Commission efficient products portal [6] through appropriate channels (e.g. websites, targeted campaigns, webinars, conferences, sectoral trade fairs, industry associations, specialised networks etc.) with the aim to increase suppliers and dealers’ awareness and stimulate their potential role as multipliers. Compliance support through online sweeps: organise 2 pilot spot checks of energy labelling on online shops in multiple Member States simultaneously, within the same quarter, focused on a (few) product group(s), including bilateral follow up with online stores showing problems with compliance to offer support in terms of training and tips for better compliance. Develop appropriate monitoring and measurement activities to adequately capture the impacts of the proposed action such as increased compliance, awareness, knowledge and engagement of economic operators in ecodesign and energy labelling regulations. To ensure full alignment with ecodesign and energy labelling regulations as well as developments and respective information provided by the proposed action, successful beneficiaries are requested to proactively liaise and closely coordinate with the European Commission and/or the competent national authorities, including national market surveillance authorities, where appropriate. Proposals should ensure that information, services and tools developed are accessible in national languages of the targeted countries in order to ensure accessibility and uptake. Relevant stakeholders (e.g. European and national level organisations) necessary for the successful implementation of the action should be involved in the project consortium with an adequate balance of interests, including at least: European organisations representing relevant economic operators in different sectors such as associations of suppliers and associations of dealers, with a minimum of 5 partners covering together through their membership at least 2/3 of the EU Member States. European organisations representing relevant actors in the public or non-profit sector, with a minimum of 3 partners representing consumer associations, standardisation bodies and Market Surveillance Authorities’ organisations, covering together through their membership at least 2/3 of the EU Member States. Access to (networks of) experts with technical knowledge on the concerned products, regulations and standards as well as the wider legal framework is necessary and should be demonstrated in the proposal. The facility would need to be sufficiently resourced to provide swift follow-up to economic operators using effective channels such as a help-line service. Expertise in communication and outreach are also needed and should be demonstrated in the proposal. The proposal should clearly demonstrate how it builds on existing experiences and lessons learnt from LIFE ComplianceServices [7] , EEPLIANT4 [8] and other relevant projects and initiatives. [1] https://energy-efficient-products.ec.europa.eu/ecodesign-and-energy-label_en [2] https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/ny3j24sm/much-more-than-a-market-report-by-enrico-letta.pdf [3] https://commission.europa.eu/topics/competitiveness/draghi-report_en [4] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52025DC0187 [5] https://eprel.ec.europa.eu/screen/home [6] https://energy-efficient-products.ec.europa.eu/index_en [7] https://www.product-compliance-services.eu/ [8] https://www.eepliant.eu/

Conditions and documents

Conditions

1. Admissibility conditions: Proposal page limit and layout

described in section 5 of the call document.

Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

2. Eligible countries

described in section 6 of the call document.

3. Other eligibility conditions

described in section 6 of the call document.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion

described in section 7 of the call document.

5a. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes

described section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual.

5b. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds

described in section 9 of the call document.

5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement

described in section 4 of the call document.

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants

described in section 10 of the call document.

Support information

Please read carefully all provisions below before the preparation of your application. Consult the FAQs in LIFE website . Get in touch with your National Contact Point (NCP) . We want also to draw your attention on the possibility to get support from your NCP. Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – Submission of proposals . IT Helpdesk – Contact the IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc. Online Manual – Step-by-step online guide through the Portal processes from proposal preparation and evaluation to reporting on your ongoing project. Valid for all 2021-2027 programmes.

Raw budget overview
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