Green Reconstruction of Ukraine – Side Event URC2025, 9 July – Rome
In the context of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2025), the side event “Green Reconstruction of Ukraine: Challenges, Opportunities and Case Studies” co-organised by FIEC, ANCE (Associazione Nazionale Costruttori Edili, Italian member of FIEC), the Confederation of Builders of Ukraine (CBU, Ukrainian member of FIEC), the European and International Contractors (EIC) and Neo-Eco Ukraine, was hosted in Rome at the ANCE headquarters.
As Ukraine moves forward on its path to recovery, sustainability must be at the core. The insightful sessions focused on practical tools and strategies for a green recovery from circular waste management to sustainable infrastructure solutions. A meaningful exchange of ideas — and another step towards building back better. “From the use of circular materials to the integration of digital tools, from international best practices to grassroots initiatives, the momentum for the green reconstruction of Ukraine is clearly there“, said FIEC President, Piero Petrucco during his opening remarks. And continued, “What is needed now is coordination, long-term commitment, and trust. We can ‘rebuild’ confidence in institutions, standards, fair procedures, and the promise of
a better life for future generations. This is where the construction sector can make a difference. We are not just builders of roads, buildings and infrastructure. We are enablers of recovery, social cohesion and resilience.” – he concluded.
FIEC Honorary President Kjetil Tonning, Chair of the joint FIEC-EIC “Task Force Ukraine“, took the floor to share additional reflections on how the EU sustainability standards, green practices and digital tools (integrated into e.g. permitting and execution) can guide the country’s recovery and enhance a sustainable ecosystem for a resource-efficient recostruction. An ecosystem that promotes the use of local materials and looks, for example, at the adoption of eurocodes. He emphasised that the reconstruction must not be limited to restoring the “status quo ante“, but should rather transform it into an opportunity to rebuild in compliance with the principles of the European Union membership. This means building also with transparency and the rule of law in mind, and with a strategy that integrates the recovery planning into medium-term budgets. A model that invests in human capital, social cohesion and progress.
FIEC Director General, Domenico Campogrande introduced key speakers such as Lev Partskhaladze (CBU President), Oleksander Chervak (CEO of CBU), Gaetano Vecchio (Vice President of Italian International Contractors and President of International SME’s Group at ANCE), Giorgio Lupoi (President of the Italian Association of Engineering and Architectural Organizations – OICE) and Fabien Porcher (Policy Officer – Unit Climate Diplomacy, European Commission). The Ukrainian and Moldovan Government’ s perspectives were also voiced by Deputy PM Vladimir Bolea and Deputy PM Doina Nistor, respectively. The last 2 sessions illustrated the on-going construction projects and some selected case studies, eco materials, and other innovative solutions for the circular economy.
We congratulate all speakers and event partners for bringing all participants together and for the very practical presentations that were useful also to get introduced to the cooperation among the involved countries, bodies and donors, and get a broader understanding on how to navigate among the needs, the different frameworks, obstacles, capacities, projects and opportunities, while tackling the transition period in the reconstruction of Ukraine: to build back safer and greener.
FIEC Chair of “Task Force Ukraine” speaker at URC2025 – 11 July, Rome
On 11 July, at the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in Rome, FIEC was represented by its Honorary President, Kjetil Tonning, in a panel dedicated to the contribution of the industry with focus on modern infrastructure (“Local and Regional Dimension – Recovery of municipalities and regions”).
In his role as Chairman of our FIEC-EIC “Task Force Ukraine”, Tonning intervened as speaker, and remarked that “one year of EU construction output is almost 3 times the World Bank’s latest total reconstruction estimate for Ukraine (~€ 506 billion)”. He then outlined how our sector leads to a multiplier effect that can amplify the recovery impact. “We have the capacity to build back better”, he added – “the challenge is creating the right framework to mobilise it”. About the Task Force, he also recalled the importance of the “Recommendations for the future reconstruction of Ukraine” resulting from the cooperation we established with EFBWW (European Federation of Builders and Wood Workers), as well as other partners. “These recommendations consist of 8 pillars urging donor backed payment security, first loss guarantees, FIDIC contracts, EU standards and early contractor involvement”, concluded Tonning.
High momentum for the Ukrainian Recovery
Opened by the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the 2-day URC conference involved almost key high-level authorities (both from Italy and Ukraine), as well as regional and municipal government leaders, the Bank of Italy, and the National Anti-Corruption Authority. The President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, also addressed the participants on Day 1.
With over 5,000 participants, approximately 100 official delegations, more than 30 international organisations, 2,000 companies, and several representatives of local governments and parliaments, financial institutions, development banks, the industry and civil society, the event has marked a considerable momentum to provide global support to Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction.
Industrial Decarbonisation in the Construction Sector: FIEC position published
On 11 July, FIEC published its Position Paper “Industrial Decarbonisation: Lead Markets and Labels for Low-Carbon Industrial Products in Construction“. The document highlights specific policy proposals to achieve an efficient and cost-effective decarbonisation of industrial products in the construction sector value chain.
The European Commission is currently drafting a legislative proposal, namely the Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act (IDAA), in the context of the EU Clean Industrial Deal. It will address industrial decarbonisation, access to energy, and aims to support the creation of lead markets to foster European clean and resilient industrial technologies and products. Of particular importance to the European construction industry is the intended development of product labels for industrial products.
FIEC welcomes the overall objective of the planned IDAA to increase sustainable and resilient production in energy-intensive industrial sectors in the EU by supporting decarbonisation investments. For SMEs, which are the backbone of the EU construction sector, it is crucial that future instruments are practical, cost-effective, and low in administrative burden. CO2 emissions of the construction sector are estimated at 5-12% of total national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the vast majority of those are primarily linked to material extraction and production, which makes greater material efficiency and a focus on reducing the carbon footprint of construction products key. As public procurement accounts for 14% of EU GDP, we agree that related policies might potentially be a powerful instrument to help overcome barriers to market entry and to support sustainable and resilient industrial ecosystems, jobs and value creation in the EU. The voluntary label on the carbon intensity of industrial products, developed by the IDAA, might be introduced as a mandatory non-price criterion for sustainability during the revision of the Public Procurement Directive (PPD) in 2026.
The overall goal of the construction industry is clear: Access materials with the lowest carbon footprint at the most competitive price – always on the basis of important technical characteristics. Balancing those interests while reaffirming the commitment to Europe as an industrial hub will be one of the main objectives of the future IDAA and the upcoming revision of the public procurement framework.
| POSITION PAPER |
European Commission Implementation Dialogue on EU Taxonomy
On 10 July, the EU Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union, Maria Luís Albuquerque, hosted an Implementation Dialogue on the EU Taxonomy. Isabelle Spiegel, Director for Environmental Affairs at Vinci, attended on behalf of FIEC as representative speaker for the European construction industry. Being one of the 20 selected stakeholders and experts, she discussed on how to improve the effectiveness and usability of the taxonomy framework and how to achieve some potential simplification.
The construction industry is committed to the goal of a sustainable transformation and recognises the EU Taxonomy as an important instrument for guiding private investments in environmentally friendly activities. However, in its current form, the EU Taxonomy harbours considerable practical implementation problems – particularly for dismantling projects, the use of recycled materials and reporting by SMEs.
The European Commission is currently preparing a comprehensive revision of the EU Taxonomy Delegated Acts, planned for adoption in 2026, and information shared at the implementation dialogue might support the work of the involved policymakers.
The FIEC Position Paper titled “A pragmatic Omnibus Simplification Package to put the EU at the forefront of corporate sustainability while ensuring the competitiveness of businesses” explores specific policy proposals and recommendations for simplification, streamlining and strengthening the overall sustainable finance framework in the chapter about the Taxonomy Regulation (EU) 2020/852.
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European Commission’s Consultation on Affordable Housing
On Friday 11 July, the European Commission opened a public consultation aimed at collecting a very wide range of information on the issue of affordable housing.
The collected material will help the European Commission identify policy actions for the EU Affordable Housing Plan, which will be presented at the beginning of 2026. These actions should add value at European level, and where necessary be adapted to the national, regional and local level.
This consultation, opened to all relevant stakeholders until 17 October 2025, covers many different areas: affordable and social housing, financing, State aid, construction, zoning and permitting, labour and skills, rental markets, governance, etc. In parallel, a specific consultation on State aid for the purpose of affordable housing is running until the end of the month.
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Public Procurement, Own-Initiative Procedure (INI) Report:
Compromise Amendment
On 3 July, the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO) adopted, by 34 votes to 13, its own initiative report on revising the EU Public Procurement Directives.
The committee urges a focused update of the existing directives – rather than replacing them with a regulation – and merge and simplify procedures while retaining national flexibility. FIEC welcomes this approach, applauding in particular the call for tougher reciprocity instruments and a harmonised method to exclude abnormally low, state subsidised bids, which it sees as key to defending fair competition inside the Single Market.
MEPs also back automatic price revision clauses to offset inflation or sudden cost hikes, a long standing FIEC demand and a clear win for contractors. By contrast, the proposal to raise the financial thresholds that determine which procedure must be used draws FIEC’s criticism: in its view, higher thresholds risk eroding transparency and squeezing SME access. The report recommends joint and several liability between contractors and subcontractors to curb social dumping; here FIEC remains cautious, warning that poorly defined rules could hamper day to day site management.
On the perennial question of dividing contracts into lots, IMCO opts for mandatory subdivision with an opt out where duly justified. FIEC notes that the wording leaves broad room for interpretation, potentially widening practice gaps among Member States. The committee preserves full freedom for public authorities to carry out works in house – an outcome FIEC regrets – yet upholds technological neutrality while allowing stronger social and environmental criteria, a balance the federation can accept provided it avoids national “gold plating.” Finally, the report champions a digital first approach centred on a Public Procurement Data Space and GovTech tools; FIEC supports the ambition but presses for strict platform interoperability, notably for BIM and e procurement solutions.
The IMCO text now moves to a plenary vote in September 2025. The European Commission will complete its evaluation and impact assessment by the end of the year and is scheduled to table a legislative proposal in 2026, with FIEC committed to ensuring the final reform delivers fair, clear and workable rules for Europe’s construction sector.
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Video of the Month:
Paris 2026, FFB and FNTP announce next FIEC Annual Conference and General Assembly
The 2 French member federations of FIEC shared their invite to the next 2026 edition of the FIEC Annual Conference & General Assembly that will take place in Paris, France.
Here is an inspiring video-message to announce the event, as delivered by the 2 co-hosts, FFB President Olivier Salleron together with FNTP President Alain Grizaud, during our last General Assembly held in Athens (May 2025). And mostly, to recall about the pivotal role played by the construction sector in fostering competitiveness, growth, innovation, social cohesion and inclusiveness, and about the importance for national federations of being represented by FIEC at European level.
FIEC thanks FFB (Fédération Française du Bâtiment) and FNTP (Fédération Nationale des Travaux Publics) for setting up the scene of our future gathering in the French capital.
| WATCH VIDEO |
About its history:❓DID YOU KNOW THAT….
The European Construction Industry Federation was founded in 1905: We are older than the European Union and we witnessed its ‘birth’. Today, after 120 years, FIEC has its flags in 32 national member federations, in 27 European countries (24 EU & Norway, Switzerland, Ukraine) and represents construction companies of all sizes, from SMEs to large international firms, across various building and civil engineering specialties. It is the recognised Social Partner for employers in the European Sectoral Social Dialogue “Construction”.
A look back
While searching our archives, we found old pictures, and quotations addressing our Federation by public figures of the past. The first tentative step towards creating FIEC was taken as early as 1881. At the invitation of the Chamber of Commerce of the Belgian city of Liège, delegations of building contractors from Belgium, France, Great Britain, Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland attended a congress in the city in July. Although this congress was hailed as a total success, it remained a dead letter.
As is often the case in history, it was thanks to the initiative of one man that the contacts that had been broken off for some 20 years were resumed at the start of the 20th century. From 1901 on, the then Secretary General and later President of the Belgian Construction and Public Works Federation, Frans van Ophem, forged a number of new
ties. Following several trips to various European countries, his great idea of bringing together federations “to become acquainted with and to be able to compare the working methods of foreign contractors” met with widespread agreement.
Thus, the first International Congress of the Construction and Public Works sector (Congrès international de l’Industrie du Bâtiment et des Travaux Publics) took place from 14 to 21 September 1905 in Liège, within the framework of the World Exhibition. The call to participate in this initiative was heard and many responded. In addition to representatives of 27 organisations from the host country (Belgium), there were delegations from France, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Austria, Denmark, Hungary and Sweden and, outside Europe, from Mexico.
The moving spirit was Frans van Ophem. In his inaugural address, he called on the entrepreneurs present to discuss and solve the problems on the agenda in a spirit of solidarity. And three Commissions were set up to do deal with a series of topics and themes.
FIEC Newsletter will be “on leave”!
Back in September
We look forward to sharing more news and interesting highlights in a few weeks.
We wish all our readers a relaxing and sunny break!