Energy Union Vice-President Šefčovič and Bertrand Piccard’s World Alliance for Efficient Solutions to launch partnership

On 28 March, the Energy Union Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič and Professor Bertrand Piccard, Chair of the Solar Impulse Foundation, will inaugurate an exhibition in the European Commission’s Berlaymont building (11:45 CET; floor -1, near the press room). The exhibition is dedicated to the zero fuel airplane, Solar Impulse, that Bertrand Piccard flew around the World. Vice-President Šefčovič said: “We will launch a partnership with the World Alliance for Efficient solutions, to provide our innovators in Europe with international reach and make sure that the members of the Alliance work well with our Smart cities and regions. I am also delighted that Bertrand Piccard will join me on some destinations of the Energy Union Tour to jointly engage with citizens, civil society and businesses on how to make the energy transition a tangible reality. Solar flight illustrates the potential of energy efficiency. Using energy in an efficient manner is central to our Energy Union strategy because it helps cutting emissions, brings savings to consumers, and reduces the EU’s fossil fuel import dependency“. The event will also provide an opportunity for Professor Piccard to present the World Alliance for Efficient solutions, a global initiative to demonstrate that concrete, tangible and efficient solutions can help reach our goals for a more sustainable future. The strong links between the World Alliance agenda and that of the Energy Union will be showcased with concrete projects, and a partnership will be announced between the Commission and the World Alliance to help foster EU innovative solutions that will make a difference globally. A VIP corner with Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič and Professor Piccard is scheduled at 13:00 CET. Media can follow live on Europe by Satellite. More information about Solar Impulse is online.