21. Underlines that stimulating innovation in technologies and business models can drive both economic growth and emissions reduction; stresses that technology will not automatically advance in a low-carbon direction, but will require clear policy signals, including the reduction of market and regulatory barriers to new technologies and business models, and well-targeted public expenditure; encourages the Member States to increase investment in public research and development in the energy sector to help create the next wave of resource-efficient, low-carbon technologies;

44. Underlines that stimulating innovation in technologies and business models can drive both economic growth and emission reduction; stresses that technology will not automatically advance in a low-carbon direction, but will require clear policy signals, including reducing market and regulatory barriers to new technologies and business models, and well-targeted public expenditure; encourages the Member States to increase investment in public research and development in the energy sector to help create the next wave of resource-efficient, low-carbon technologies;

46. Underlines that stimulating innovation in technologies and business models can drive both economic growth and emission reduction; stresses that technology will not automatically advance in a low-carbon direction, but will require clear policy signals, including reducing market and regulatory barriers to new technologies and business models, and well-targeted public expenditure; encourages the Member States to increase investment in public research and development in the energy sector to help create the next wave of resource-efficient, low-carbon technologies;

Such financial instruments at Union level include, inter alia, Regulation (EC) No 1080/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 July 2006 on the European Regional Development Fund , amended to allow increased investments in energy efficiency in housing; the public-private partnership on a ‘European energy-efficient buildings’ initiative to promote green technologies and the development of energy-efficient systems and materials in new and renovated buildings; the EC-European Investment Bank (EIB) initiative ‘EU sustainable energy financing initiative’ which aims to enable, inter alia, investments for energy efficiency and ...[+++] the EIB-led ‘Marguerite Fund’: the 2020 European Fund for Energy, Climate Change and Infrastructure; Council Directive 2009/47/EC of 5 May 2009 amending Directive 2006/112/EC as regards reduced rates of value added tax , structural and cohesion funds instrument Jeremie (Joint European Resources for micro to medium enterprises); the Energy Efficiency Finance Facility; the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme including the Intelligent Energy Europe II Programme focused specifically on removing market barriers related to energy efficiency and energy from renewable sources through for example the technical assistance facility ELENA (European Local Energy Assistance); the Covenant of Mayors; the Entrepreneurship and Innovation programme; the ICT Policy Support Programme 2010, and the Seventh Research Framework Programme.

The mandatory application of criteria for the procurement of clean and energy-efficient vehicles does not preclude the inclusion of other relevant criteria and permits also the retrofitting of vehicles with upgraded environmental technology and performance.

In addition, the Commission will support the development of a procurement network of regional and local authorities to pool demand for clean buses and other vehicles and speed up the implementation of the CARS21 initiative; In the construction sector, a 'European energy-efficient buildings' initiative, to promote green technologies and the development of energy-efficient systems and materials in new and renovated buildings with a view to reducing radically their energy consumption and CO2 emissions[5].