FIEC Newsletter- November 3rd 2026

On 28 October, FIEC and the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW), the European Social Partners for the construction industry, organised a joint meeting of their respective boards.At a time when many EU initiatives are relevant to the construction industry, this meeting provided a good opportunity to understand the respective positions and identify areas where there is scope for common ground and joint action.

FIEC and EFBWW members stressed their wish to continue to work together and strengthen their collaboration at the political level. The discussions focused on the EU Public Procurement Act, subcontracting, the Quality Jobs Act and the EU Inc./28th regime. FIEC and EFBWW also shared some concerns about the Construction Services Act, for which a Joint Statement has been adopted in June 2026.

On 27 October, FIEC co-organised the conference “EU–Ukraine Construction Sector: Business engagement and investment opportunities” with the European Commission at the Ukraine House in Brussels. European and Ukrainian companies, institutional representatives and financial stakeholders discussed reconstruction needs, investment prospects and opportunities for partnership.For FIEC, mobilising companies requires practical conditions to be in place. The safety of personnel, adequate war-risk insurance and reliable financing are essential to their involvement. Transparent public procurement, balanced contracts and payment guarantees must also enable companies to prepare projects and manage the risks associated with their participation.

Cooperation with Ukrainian companies is central to this approach. Long-term partnerships should support local employment, training and technology transfer, while contributing to resilient infrastructure and affordable, energy-efficient housing. This engagement builds on the work of the Task Force “Ukraine” (chaired by Kjetil Tonning, FIEC Honorary President), established in July 2022 by FIEC and European International Contractors (EIC), with the involvement of the Confederation of Builders of Ukraine (CBU, FIEC’s Ukrainian member) and national federations.

For the European construction sector, these exchanges provide a setting in which to identify Ukrainian partners and examine the conditions needed to deliver projects.

Read the Recommendations of the joint Task Force “Ukraine”.

On 28 October, FIEC attended the meeting of the European Council for Construction Research, Development and Innovation (ECCREDI). Participants discussed how the European construction sector can advance on circularity, innovation and digitalisation, and exchanged perspectives across the built environment.Among the presentations, FIEC Director General, Domenico Campogrande, co-rapporteur of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) Opinion on fostering innovation and digitalisation in the construction industry, presented the latest draft and opened the discussion on the proposed recommendations. From strategy to practice, Edward Woods, Head of R&D, presented Scale One by Bouygues Construction, their cutting-edge innovation centre and materials lab.

FIEC is committed to strengthening collaboration within ECCREDI to bridge the perspectives of contractors, researchers, and decision makers, and to deliver on one common mission: making construction more affordable and sustainable, and ensuring the competitiveness of the industry.

The European Employers’ Institute (EEI) released a new study on “The application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality. Case study: extreme temperature and Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)”.The analysis highlights the diversity of climatic conditions, geographical circumstances, economic sectors and national regulatory approaches across Member States. It examines the implications of these differences for the necessity, added value and proportionality of further EU measures. The study concludes that the existing EU OSH framework already establishes comprehensive obligations for assessing and preventing temperature-related workplace risks.

The study emphasises the importance of effective implementation and enforcement of existing legislation, complemented by technical guidance, the exchange of good practices and research.

The European Parliament Committee for Employment and Social Affairs published a new draft report on the effect of extreme temperatures in the workplace on workers’ health and safety. The rapporteur is Maria Ohisalo (FI, Greens/EFA).This report focuses on heatwaves and extreme cold and stresses that the workers most impacted by extreme temperatures are outdoor workers in sectors such as construction.

The document “underlines that EU legislation needs to be strengthened to ensure adequate harmonisation of protection across all Member States”  and calls on the European Commission to submit a proposal for a Directive on the protection of workers from extreme temperatures and occupational heat stress. It will be discussed in the Committee for Employment and Social Affairs on 10 November.

12 November, Warsaw: FIEC at “Recovery Construction Forum 5.0”