Sorcha EdwardsView Presentation

Sorcha joined CECODHAS Housing Europe team in 2003. She is currently CECODHAS Deputy Secretary General and Energy Co-ordinator and is in charge of the coordination and supervision of lobbying, communication and exchange activities between national members of CECODHAS and EU institutions in the field of energy. She is responsible for the so called CECODHAS Energy Expert Network gathering experts from 20 national federations of social housing across Europe. She is also leading the POWER HOUSE EUROPE Project, aiming at facilitating exchange and creating National and European platforms of key stakeholders promoting sustainable use in housing.

After a communications and languages degree during which she studied for a year in Germany, she graduated from Leuven University with an MA on European policies. She has worked for the Irish Institute for European affairs, developing training seminars on EU policies and for the TACIS EU technical assistance office monitoring the implementation of the TACIS programme supporting projects in EU10.

Sorcha speaks English, French, German and Spanish.

Presentation Synopsis

EU policy on energy efficiency in housing and the EU view on how it should be paid for

• Accessing funding for energy efficiency around the EU - some feedback from CECODHAS Housing Europe Members
• Policy developments which led to this ERDF funding being made available
• Overview of the use being made in other EU Member States
• Future perspectives - EU budget and beyond
• How much money was available
• what the process was like and how we wanted to use the money
• where are we at - who's doing what and where
• examples of projects
• the JESSICA mechanisms
• the holistic approach in Wales
• the things that could be done better
• what the next round should enable us to do