“Making BIM a global success” launched today
“BIM is transforming construction and the industry needs to lead the effort to encourage widespread uptake across the entire value chain. With this background FIEC has launched its manifesto, to highlight the potential of BIM in terms of facilitating the implementation of EU policy. The document “Making BIM a global success” also summarises the challenges that could delay full adoption by all companies in all sectors” says Kjetil Tonning, Vice President of FIEC and President of its Technical Commission, who has led a working group made up of representatives of FIEC’s Member Federations as well as contractors, industry and academic experts and even a former government minister. FIEC’s manifesto is just one activity amongst several being undertaken, to support contractors with the transformation of the industry as a result of Industry 4.0. BIM actions will be followed by others on digitalisation and industrial production.
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Employers and workers criticise proposals for a European services e-card
On 10th May, the European social partners from the construction (i.e. FIEC and EFBWW), cleaning and insurance sectors jointly expressed their fundamental concerns about the legislative proposals on the European services e-card. They strongly questioned the added-value of the proposals in terms of strengthening the European Single Market.As a signatory to the position paper, FIEC confirms its support for fair competition in a well-functioning Single Market and for the freedom to provide services across the EU. But against this backdrop, we have serious concerns that the proposed services e-card will not contribute to this objective. On the contrary, it might even have counter-productive effects. In the joint statement, the social partners agree: “instead of addressing the problems we have been facing for years in our sectors, the services e-card might actually facilitate fraudulent practices and undermine faire competition.”
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EU Social Scoreboard
As a complement to the EU Pillar of Social Rights the European Commission has also established a “social scoreboard”, aimed at monitoring progress on the ground in terms of performance. It will track trends and performance across countries and inform policy makers in the context of the European Semester on economic policy coordination.
This new “social scoreboard” consists of a limited number of important indicators, which assess employment and social trends. It will be discussed with the relevant Council committees, with a view to being incorporated in the annual Joint Employment Report published each autumn by the European Semester. It could also become a reference point for the efforts made on the social dimension of the euro area and of Europe more generally.
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Ambitious Renovation Strategy for Wallonia
The regional government of Wallonia in Belgium has published its renovation strategy for buildings, in order to significantly improve energy efficiency. The aim is to increase the annual rate of renovation from 1% of the existing building stock to 3%, which is in line with EU energy efficiency policy. At a launch event in Namur last week, the region’s Energy Minister Christophe Lacroix said that he hoped the plan would help to create 80,000 local jobs in construction. In Wallonia, 40,000 residents are suffering from energy poverty and the majority of residential buildings – the first priority in the plan – have the energy rating ‘F’ on the scale A-G found in Energy Performance Certificates. The plan’s three main objectives are to improve indoor comfort and health, reduce environmental impact and reduce energy dependence.
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