FIEC Newsletter – 04 Απριλίου 2023

On 29th March, the European Commission, the European Labour Authority (ELA) and the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) joined forces to present 2 reports dedicated to labour shortages in the European Union.

As Europe’s economies emerge from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, labour shortages are becoming increasingly evident. These include shortages exacerbated by the crisis in some sectors and occupations where they had been endemic for some time.
According to the latest figures, the construction sector ranks in the TOP 3 sectors facing labour shortages, together with health care and ICT.
These 2 reports address the causes of these shortages (e.g. population ageing, gender-segregation, skills mismatches, etc.) and propose a series of possible solutions (e.g. higher investment in education and training, better working conditions, etc). But considering the variety of factors involved, it is clear that there is no silver bullet.
The European Commission has declared 2023 the European Year of Skills to further emphasise the importance of initial and ongoing skills development to meet Europe’s labour market requirements.

After four years of work, the Erasmus+ EU-funded project “Construction Blueprint” has come to an end. The project gathered 24 partners from 12 EU countries, including national construction representatives, VET providers and the three EU umbrella sectorial organisations (EBC, FIEC and EFBWW).

During four years, project partners, led by Fundación Laboral de la Construcción in Spain, had implemented the following activites:

• e-learning platform offering free courses focused on energy efficiency, digitalisation and circular economy;
• creation of a “Skills Observatory” aimed at anticipating skill needs in the construction sector at European level;
• piloting of new VET curricula in digitalisation, circular economy and energy efficiency;
• promotion of the attractiveness of the construction industry.

All deliverables and more information can be found on the project website via the below tab.

Following the resignation (retirement) of Mr. José Michaël Chenu, the FIEC Steering Committee is pleased to welcome Mr. Jean-Pierre Paseri as the new FIEC Vice-President representing France, namely our members FNTP and FFB.

As Managing Director Europe at EUROVIA since January 2020, Mr. Paseri oversees Eurovia’s operations in Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, the Baltic States and Spain.

He is also Administrator of the French Federation of Public Works (FNTP) since 2009 and Vice-President of the Road construction companies (“Routes de France”) since 2015.

We are looking forward to working with Mr. Paseri as FIEC Vice-President in charge of Technical Affairs

On 30th March, the European Parliament and the Member States reached a provisional agreement on the updated version of the Renewable Energy Directive (“RED III”).The agreement raises the EU’s binding renewable target for 2030 to a minimum of 42.5%, up from the current 32% target and almost doubling the existing share of renewable energy in the EU. Negotiators also agreed that the EU would aim to reach 45% of renewables by 2030.

Most importantly, the RED III will introduce a specific renewable energy benchmark of 49% for energy consumption in buildings by 2030 to complement EU buildings legislation and guide Member States’ efforts.

The agreement will now have to be endorsed by both the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.

The new publication collects and synthesises existing methods, specifications, best practices and guidance for climate-resilient buildings. Its aim is to provide practical advice for professionals and be referenced or used in other various EU policy documents.A separate report, the ”Best practice guidance on adapting buildings to climate change”, provides guidance on how to enhance the resilience of buildings, including the presentation of practical solutions and case studies.