FIEC President meeting our Luxembourg Member GEBTP
FIEC President Piero Petrucco and Vice-President Paola Malabaila, together with a delegation from ANCE, the Italian member of the FIEC, was welcomed in Luxembourg yesterday by former FIEC board member Joël Schons and the Luxembourg Construction Federation (Le Groupement des Entrepreneurs).
The main topics discussed were the housing crisis and the digitalisation of the construction sector. Both delegations compared and discussed the overall situations in Italy and Luxembourg and shared reflections on the best EU experiences.
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EAfA factsheet on measures to support SMEs offering apprenticeships
The European Alliance for Apprenticeship (EAfA) published a new factsheet to present the support and measures available for SMEs offering apprenticeships in the EU. The factsheet provides an overview of the different types of support that exist to help SMEs to offer apprenticeships effectively. It covers partnerships and training alliances, apprenticeships promotion and recruitment and the different financial support available to SMEs.
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Commission Project Groups established to deliver on political priorities
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has established fourteen Project Groups within the European Commission to facilitate the decision-making process. The Project Groups are established for an initial period of one year and address the coordination on topical issues, especially on key crosscutting initiatives and horizontal policies. The respective group chairs will be responsible for ensuring the successful delivery of its mandate.
Among them the Project Groups that are of relevance for construction :
- Clean Industrial Deal, which is jointly chaired by Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera (Clean, Just and Competitive Transition), Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné (Prosperity and Industrial Strategy), and Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra (Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth)
- Skills, Jobs and Social Rights, which is chaired by Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu (Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness)
- European Savings and Investments Union, which is chaired by Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque (Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union)
- Water Resilience, which is chaired by Commissioner Jessika Roswall (Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy)
- Affordable Housing, which is chaired by Commissioner Dan Jørgensen (Energy and Housing)
The Project Groups reflect the Commission’s political priorities.
FIEC welcomes that Affordable Housing as well as Water Resilience are addressed at a high level and wishes the best success in delivering on those specific missions. We build the change together. Thanks to FIEC’s wide-ranging representativeness of the European construction industry and the expertise of our affiliates, we are committed to contributing to the work of the European Commission and playing an active role within the relevant fora, always with a focus on potential solutions.
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New European Bauhaus Prizes 2025: application open until 14 February
The European Commission has officially opened applications for the fifth edition of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Prizes. These awards recognise outstanding contributions from individuals, teams, and organisations that represent sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusiveness. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has highlighted the urgent need for affordable housing solutions, which is not only among the EU political priorities but also a special focus of this year’s NEB prizes.
The 2025 NEB “Affordable Housing Prizes” will reward 22 exemplary projects and concepts under four categories:
- Reconnecting with nature,
- Regaining a sense of belonging,
- Prioritising the places and people that need it the most,
- Shaping a circular industrial ecosystem and supporting life-cycle thinking.
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Commission publishes findings of its first IPI investigation
On 14 January, the European Commission published a report on the findings of its first investigation under the EU’s International Procurement Instrument (IPI), which entered into force in 2022. The main objective of the IPI is to give the EU leverage in negotiating the reciprocal opening of public procurement markets in third countries.
The report published last week revealed continued discrimination against European medical device producers in China’s public procurement. Although this specific initiative is not of direct interest for the construction industry, on the one hand it is the first investigation effectively launched by the European Commission and, on the other hand, unfair restrictions on EU companies’ access to public contracts are known to affect other sectors as well.
The EU is committed to engaging in dialogue with China to address these issues. However, if no satisfactory solution is found, the Commission may consider measures, such as limiting or excluding Chinese bidders in the EU, to ensure fair competition and market access.
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