The general objective is to: Contribute directly to increasing energy efficiency in public buildings in the North West region of Romania. Description of the general objective: Energy efficiency and renewable energy sources are an important basis for sustainable development, as they contribute to environmental and climate protection, local job creation and economic growth, security of energy supply, independence from energy price fluctuations, as well as social cohesion and innovation. Energy efficiency is the ratio between the output of performance, services, goods or energy and the energy used for this purpose (Directive 2012/27/EU). Energy saving means reducing energy consumption by changing behaviour or reducing economic activity (Energy Efficiency Plan, European Commission, 8 March 2011). The efficient use of energy, the increase in energy efficiency constitutes the realisation of a unit of product, good or service without lowering its quality or performance, while reducing the amount of energy required for the production of this product, good or service (Law 199/2000 on energy efficiency, amended by Law 120/2002). According to the President of ARPEE (Romanian Association for the Promotion of Energy Efficiency), Gilles Humbert, energy efficiency is a “fundamental priority in Romania”. Our country could reduce energy consumption by up to 11.7 million toe (tonnes equivalent of oil) over the next ten years if it applied measures to bring energy efficiency to the European average. Moreover, according to a European directive which entered into force earlier this year, by 2020 and inclusive, each EU Member State will have to reduce energy sales to final consumers by 1.5 % each year. In addition, at least three percent of the total floor area of buildings owned and occupied by the central government will have to be renovated annually to meet the minimum energy performance requirements set by the EU. Reliable data currently available (valid for 2011 at Eurostat) show that nine EU Member States are below the average energy intensity and new entrants perform very poorly vis-à-vis Western countries. Ireland (-43 %), Denmark (-37 %) and the United Kingdom (-28 %) occupy the podium of low specific energy consumption relative to GDP. On the other hand, there are Bulgaria (+ 394 %!), Estonia (+ 249 %) and Romania (+ 172 %), followed long by Czechia (+ 147 %), Slovakia (+ 142 %), Latvia (+ 124 %), Poland (+ 120 %) and Lithuania (+ 109 %), countries with specific consumption at least twice the EU average. As I have pointed out, the public sector has been identified as one where urgent intervention measures are needed to increase the energy efficiency of buildings, therefore, as also identified in the Strategies