CROSS: CRoatian One-Stop-Shop Facility for Public Building Renovation

Summary of the Project

Across the European Union, local and regional authorities face a critical challenge in meeting target decarbonization rates under the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). In North-West Croatia, historical renovation rates left public building modernisation on a trajectory that would take a century to complete. The CROSS project (Establishment of CRoatian One-Stop-Shop facility in North-West Croatia, LIFE22-CET-CROSS) was launched to break this deadlock.

Coordinated by REGEA alongside an expert consortium including FEDARENE, CROSS established a permanent, integrated One-Stop-Shop (OSS) facility. Serving the City of Zagreb and three surrounding counties (Karlovac, Krapina-Zagorje, and Zagreb), the CROSS OSS provides local authorities with all-inclusive technical, financial, legal, and procurement assistance to move public building retrofits from ambition to delivery.

Innovation: Removing Upstream Barriers to Project Preparation

Rather than acting merely as a grant management body, the CROSS One-Stop-Shop functions as an active technical enabler and project aggregator. It tackles the core structural bottlenecks that historically halt municipal retrofits before tendering begins:

• Alternative Delivery Mechanisms: Facilitated non-subsidy financing models, including Design-and-Build formats and Energy Performance Contracting (EPC/ESCO).

• Unified Building Data Registries: Implemented a standardized 63-field data framework across 1,800+ public buildings to prioritize retrofits based on energy use, asset conditions, and investment readiness.

• Standardised Deep Renovation Guidelines: Authored comprehensive technical guidelines aligned with the EU Taxonomy and EPBD requirements. Embedded directly into procurement packages as binding annexes, these guidelines ensure high performance, climate resilience, and lifecycle efficiency.

• Legal Barrier Resolution Framework: Created diagnostic workflows to resolve complex property rights, unpermitted historical additions, and title encumbrances prior to funding applications.

Impact: Mobilising €395M+ in Sustainable Finance

By centralising technical expertise, CROSS empowered small and medium-sized municipalities to deliver complex retrofits while unlocking major finance flows:

• Long-Term Operational Model: Formulated a permanent governance structure funded through partner contributions, success fees, and advisory services to ensure the OSS continues operations past EU project completion.

• €395 Million EIB Framework Loan: Technical and legal preparation by the CROSS OSS enabled the City of Zagreb to secure a historic European Investment Bank (EIB) framework loan in July 2024.

• 100 Tender-Ready Feasibility Studies: Generated 100 investment-grade feasibility studies for critical public assets, including schools, health centers, and administrative facilities.

• €70M+ Direct Renovation Pipeline: Structured an active pipeline of 32 public renovation projects, delivering high-performance retrofits on the ground.

Scalability and Replicability: The “CROSS Replication Kit”

A core pillar of FEDARENE’s involvement in CROSS is driving European-wide transferability. Through bilateral exchanges with peer projects (e.g., FACILITA, BAPAURA, EUROPA OSS) and presentations at key EU events like EUSEW and the FEDARENE General Assembly, the CROSS methodology serves as a blueprint for regional energy agencies across Europe.

Regions and energy agencies looking to replicate the CROSS One-Stop-Shop model can access the transferable CROSS Replication Kit:

• OSS Governance & Business Model (D2.1): Operational framework for long-term regional OSS facility management.

• Public Building Registry Structure (D2.4): A customisable database template for public asset management.

• Deep Renovation Technical Guidelines (D3.1): Procurement-ready technical criteria for EPBD compliance.-

• Feasibility Study Methodology (D3.2): Standardised economic and technical modeling for public buildings.

• Legal Barrier Action Plan (D3.3): Diagnostic pathways for resolving municipal property issues.