FIEC Newsletter – 8 September 2026

• Strengthening Europe’s capacity to deliver large-scale infrastructure and strategic projects efficiently and at scale;
• Ensuring stable and predictable investment pipelines to support long-term planning and industrial growth;
• Reforming public procurement to prioritise quality, efficiency and balanced risk-sharing over lowest cost;
• Aligning climate ambition with delivery capacity, ensuring the transition remains economically and industrially viable;
• Promoting fair global competition and resilient European supply chains;
• Accelerating industrialisation and innovation, including digitalisation and prefabrication;
• Addressing workforce and skills shortages through long-term strategies and improved sector attractiveness.

PRESS RELEASE

On 2 September, FIEC, EIC (European International Contractors), EuDA (European Dredging Association) and UNIFE (European Rail Supply Industry Association) published a common position on the forthcoming EU Public Procurement Act. The four organisations call for simpler, more consistent rules that reward quality and support fair competition.

They urge a stronger shift away from lowest-price awards, with the Best Price–Quality Ratio as the default approach and greater consideration of lifecycle or Total Cost of Ownership.

The statement also supports a European preference in strategic sectors, stronger reciprocity towards third-country bidders and greater consideration of security and resilience. It calls for effective action against distortive foreign subsidies while ensuring predictable rules for reliable operators. For FIEC, procurement reform should support quality, European competitiveness and fair competition.

Digital, green and demographic transitions are reshaping Europe’s labour market, bringing new opportunities for productivity and innovation, but also new risks to mental health at work.

The first policy brief, as part of a series of four policy briefs, developed by Fondazione Adapt within the EU-funded project Mind@Work, explores how AI, automation and the green transition are affecting workers’ wellbeing from the pressures of algorithmic management to the emerging challenges of climate-related change.

It also showcases promising practices already emerging across Europe, including Sweden’s OSWE (OffSec Web Expert) toolbox for early risk identification and France’s sector-based QVCT (Qualité de Vie et des Conditions de Travail) strategies, which embed mental wellbeing into everyday HR and management practice.

The brief offers a set of key recommendations for employers and social partners, from fostering social dialogue on new technologies and ensuring transparent use of monitoring tools, to investing in skills and worker participation and building organisational cultures that support mental wellbeing.

On 2 September, the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in the Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL) adopted two texts on health and safety at work.

First, they approved the political agreement on the 6^th revision of the Carcinogens, Mutagens, and Reprotoxic Substances Directive (CMRD6). This revision addresses, among other, the limit value for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and welding fumes. The Council already approved the agreement on 22 July.

Second, the MEPs adopted with a strong majority (41 in favour, 12 against and 4 abstention) the report from Estelle Ceulemans (S&D, BE) on psychosocial risks, stress and mental health at work (2026/2023 (INL)). This report calls on the European Commission to propose a law to protect workers from work-related psychosocial risks and stress at work. MEPs approved a series of recommendations, including on the obligation for employers to carry out psychosocial risk assessments and to adopt actions plans, on return-to-work plans and on the reversal of the burden of the proof.

Next step: MEPs will vote on this report during the first plenary session of October.

On 22 July, the European Commission published a Communication on the European Pillar of Social Rights. This Communication aims at further deepening the implementation of the Pillar adopted in 2017, and to take stock on the 2021 Action Plan. This plan set 3 targets to be reached by 2030:

While the target on employment is on course to be met, significant efforts should be done on the skills and poverty reduction targets.
In its Communication, the Commission identified three pressure points which require urgent and additional attention: the cost of living and affordability; artificial intelligence and the future of work inequalities, fairness and equal opportunities. Several initiatives are also announced by the European Commission such as a possible EU action on activation of persons facing significant barriers to employment, the set-up of a High-level Experts Group to examine the potential impact of AI on the labour market and a Union’s Right to Stay Strategy.

Last 27 August in Paris, intervening at the at the annual conference “La Rencontre des Entrepreneurs de France 2026”, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen set out six areas for reviving European growth: fairer rules and competition, finance, the Single Market, energy, artificial intelligence and trade. The common thread was clear: European companies need enough certainty and room to invest, produce and grow in Europe.

On simplification, she confirmed the target of reducing administrative burdens by 25% for all businesses and 35% for SMEs by 2029. She also called for an EU-wide review of existing rules to remove duplication, reduce reporting and speed up permitting. Member States, she said, must tackle national gold-plating. For construction, delivery will be the real test: faster permits, proportionate reporting and more consistent implementation across countries.

The industrial strand is equally important. The Industrial Accelerator Act combines European preference, faster permitting and lead markets for steel, cement, aluminium, vehicles, batteries and clean technologies. The Commission plans to use public procurement and public support more strategically to promote low-carbon production, stronger value chains and European industry. These measures could directly affect project specifications, sourcing choices and tender conditions.

The Commission also wants to speed up electrification across industry, transport and buildings, supported by faster investment in grids, connections and storage. For FIEC members, this points to growing demand for infrastructure. Turning that demand into projects will, however, require predictable finance, workable criteria for companies of all sizes and enough skilled workers. Construction is therefore not only a beneficiary of Europe’s competitiveness agenda; it is one of the conditions for delivering it.