European Parliament adopts Resolution on Housing crisis in the EU
On 10 March, the European Parliament adopted its Resolution on the “Housing crisis in the European Union“, with the aim of proposing solutions for decent, sustainable and affordable housing.
FIEC welcomes that this Resolution shows a number of convergence points with our core priorities. In particular, the European Parliament explicitly identifies complex permitting and planning processes as major bottlenecks and calls for a Housing Simplification Package to streamline overlapping rules, reduce red tape and shorten permitting procedures; digitalisation of building permits systems, including one-stop-shops and interoperable national platforms; target a 60-day permit issuance, use of “positive administrative silence” and fast-track schemes for urgent housing projects.
The European Parliament also stresses the need for industrialised, modular, offsite construction, digital tools and BIM (Building Information Modelling) standardisation, as well as the related necessary public and private investment, including an assessment of the current prudential rules to avoid unnecessary credit tightening.
However, the Resolution seems to be missing some operational clarity, implementation mechanisms and concrete commitments, particularly on standardisation, the impact of environmental legislation and regulatory certainty.
FIEC is committed to continue working with the European Parliament, the European Commission and all relevant stakeholders to help implementing affordable and sustainable housing solutions for EU citizens.
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CEN Coordination Group “Construction”: Embedding Reuse in Harmonised Standards
On 13 March, the CEN Coordination Group “Construction” held its bi-annual meeting, bringing together representatives from the European Commission, national standardisation bodies, European industry associations, and technical experts across the construction sector.
The meeting focused on the ongoing revision of harmonised standards under the Construction Products Regulation (CPR). Particular attention was given to products intended for reuse and conditions needed to support circular practices throughout the construction value chain.
FIEC and its national member federations are actively involved in standardisation processes to ensure that industry perspectives are reflected. The construction sector relies heavily on standards to safeguard the quality, safety, sustainability, and integrity of construction works across Europe. Technical feasibility and practical applicability of requirements remain central to FIEC’s contributions to the ongoing work.
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Council adopts a Recommendation on human capital in the EU
On 9 March, the Member States adopted a Council Recommendation on human capital in the European Union. The recommendation aims at addressing skills shortages, strengthening basic skills and Vocational Education and Training (VET), increasing investments in education, training and skills and improving skills intelligence.
Member States are encouraged to address further skills shortages, especially in sectors important for the European competitiveness and resilience. VET is also at the core of this recommendation. Member States should “boost the quality and attractiveness of VET and apprenticeships, including by tackling negative perceptions“, increase the number of students in VET invest further on education and skills.
The Recommendation was first announced in the Union of Skills and is aligned with the Skills Agenda for the European Commission.
FIEC celebrates 10 years of the “EU Platform on Undeclared Work”
Last week, the European Labour Authority (ELA) marked the 10th anniversary of the European Platform tackling undeclared work, celebrating 10 years of cooperation to promote declared work, protect workers’ rights and support fair labour markets across the EU.
In the below promotional video, FIEC Director of Social Affairs, Christine Le Forestier, and Tom Deleu, Secretary General of EFBWW (European Federation of Building and Wood Workers) highlight the constructive interactions between the EU construction social partners and the Platform and the key role played by national sectoral social ID cards in promoting transparency and enforcement.
Established by the European Commission on 11 March 2026, the Platform brings together labour inspectorates, tax administrations, social security institutions, social partners, and experts from across Europe. Since becoming a permanent body within ELA, the Platform is a practical forum for exchanging tools, methods, and enforcement practices.
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European Labour Authority launches campaign on benefits of declared work
The European Labour Authority (ELA) has recently launched a new EU-wide communication campaign to promote declared work. The initiative marks 10 years of the European Platform tackling undeclared work (see previous article) and reinforces the joint commitment of Member States and social partners to advance towards fair and transparent labour practices across Europe.
The campaign aims to raise awareness of the risks and consequences of undeclared work, encourage voluntary compliance with labour and social legislation, support national authorities in their prevention and enforcement efforts, promote consistent messages on declared work across Member States.
It addresses both workers and employers, recognising that tackling undeclared work requires awareness, prevention efforts and compliance by all actors in the labour market.
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The EP endorses the creation of the “EU Talent Pool”
On 10 March, the European Parliament formally adopted the Regulation on the EU Talent Pool following the conclusion of the trilogue negotiations with the Council of the EU.
The EU Talent Pool aims to facilitate recruitment of people from third countries through a digital platform which will support the matching of applicants with vacancies published by European employers. Member States can decide on a voluntary basis to use the EU Talent Pool.
The Council will have to formally approve the final agreement before the Regulation can enter into force.
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