International context
The European Commission has been funding research projects in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) since the 1980s via its multi-annual Framework Programs (FP) for research and technological development. Past and ongoing research activities have well demonstrated the key enabling role of ICT in sustainability and confirm its contributions in the context of the i2020 initiative (reduction of the energy consumption and of the greenhouse gas effect with 20%). FP7 offers the opportunity to broaden the scope of challenges to be addressed, beyond environmental and disaster management themes.
In addition to research activities, the Commission has recognized that ICTs and ICT-based innovations may provide one of the potentially most cost-effective means for Member States to achieve the 2020 target. The two Communications adopted in May 2008 [COM(2008) 241] and in March 2009 [COM(2009) 111] are a first step towards creating a policy framework that will allow the energy-saving potential of ICTs to be widely recognized and exploited. With the right policy framework, ICTs can enable a new revolution in energy efficiency.
The Recommendation [C(2009) 7604] adopted by the Commission, on October 9th 2009, on "mobilising Information and Communications Technologies to facilitate the transition to an energy-efficient, low-carbon economy", aims to unlock energy efficiency potential through more public-private partnership initiatives, like the ones recently launched by the Commission on energy efficient buildings and green cars [IP/09/1116], but also through partnerships between the ICT industry and defined strategic sectors. In particular, the buildings, transport and logistics sectors are identified as key economic sectors where energy efficiency through the use of ICT is still largely untapped.
