Brussels, 29/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - In an open letter sent to Commissioner Danuta Hübner (regional policy) and Andris Piebalgs (energy), the European Liaison Committee for Social Housing (CECODHAS) criticised the “restrictive interpretation” by the Directorate General for Regional Policy at the European Commission of Article 7 of the ERDF (European Regional Development Funds). CECODHAS believes that this interpretation will lead to a rejection of eligibility for ERDF funding to older member states that want to improve energy efficiency in residential buildings, or promote renewable energies. The CECODHAS press release explained that this is in contradiction with the new EU energy policy and the targets in the Lisbon and Gothenburg strategies. The committee is therefore calling for the interpretation, “to be brought into line with EU energy policy and which, in accordance with the spirit of structural fund regulation, will make spending on energy related investment in residential buildings eligible, as it is for other building types”. The European Commission is being called on to revise the interpretation of Article 7 in the ERDF regulation in combination with Article 5c to allow for eligibility for all building categories, including multi-family housing. Further info: http://www.cecodhas.org (gb)