The European Union faces energy challenges relating to energy security, sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions. The EU has committed itself to the "20-20-20" initiative: reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, increasing the share of renewables in energy consumption to 20% and improving energy efficiency by 20%, all by 2020. Local councils have indeed a very important role to play in this, and it is important to note that there are various EU initiatives to assist local councils to achieve these objectives.