FIEC Newsletter – 15 Απριλίου 2025

In the frame of the EU-Ukraine Business Summit that took place on 11 April in Brussels, FIEC President, Piero Petrucco, intervened as speaker during the thematic workshop on “Reforms as enablers for critical sectors: public-private synergies in energy and infrastructure”. All the exchanges highlighted the critical role of reforms and public-private collaboration in Ukraine’s infrastructure and energy recovery.

Considering the potential accession of Ukraine to the EU, FIEC President stressed that “buildings and infrastructure should be procured, designed and rebuilt sustainably, in accordance with the European standards. This implies strengthening institutional mechanisms for effective implementation and enforcement of EU aligned standards. And the country reconstruction should meet the social criteria in the use of EU funds in Ukraine“.

The EU-Ukraine Business Summit represented also a key opportunity to promote the mission and output of the joint FIEC-EIC Task Force “Ukraine”, and important milestones such as the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between FIEC and the European Federation of Builders and Wood Workers (EFBWW).

Ensuring the resilience and modernisation of Ukraine’s infrastructure is not only a matter of emergency response but also a strategic priority for the country’s economic recovery and sustainable development.

The Brussels-based organisation Construction Products Europe developed a Guide to navigate the revised Construction Products Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/3110). This document is mainly addressing manufacturers of construction products, as they are in scope of this law, which will apply as of January 2026.

FIEC will inform its members, once the implementation progresses and results on construction sites become visible.

On 11 April, FIEC participated in the 4th edition of the Eurobridge conference, focusing on the maintenance, safety and sustainability of transport infrastructure, particularly bridges.

“Maintenance is no longer just about preserving infrastructure. It is a strategic lever for ensuring connectivity and competitiveness across the European Union” – explained Christian Tridon, Chairman of the FIEC “Structural Maintenance” Group.

With bridges forming vital components of road, rail, and waterway networks, the conference underscored the need for continuous investment and vigilance to ensure these structures meet their performance demands.

Tridon emphasised the importance of proactive maintenance, warning that even in seemingly stable conditions, infrastructure ages and requires constant attention. “When we say that the sea is calm, this does not mean that a storm is brewing. Bridges, like tunnels, must adapt constantly to meet their expected performance,” he said.

“The scale of investment needed, especially under the TEN-T framework, is enormous and growing. To meet this challenge, we must also rethink and adapt our training systems, ensuring that the workforce is equipped to handle the complexities of modern infrastructure maintenance”, added Tridon. And he also highlighted the significant social and economic consequences of structural failures, citing examples across Europe and beyond where neglect led to costly disruptions. “It is our duty to do whatever is possible to raise awareness among infrastructure managers on the need to maintain and reinforce these structures,” he concluded.

FIEC President Piero Petrucco intervened during the conference underlining that “our Federation asked the EU institutions to ensure that infrastructure maintenance is treated as a political and budgetary priority within the EU’s strategic agenda”. He added that “in the context of the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), we call on the Commission to ensure a strong post-2027 budget for infrastructure and transport, along with a dedicated European transport funding instrument to mobilise both public and private investment in infrastructure modernisation.”

Among his other messages, Petrucco explained that “the EU must guarantee that Member States with limited fiscal space are not left behind. Infrastructure development and defence mobility cannot become privileges reserved for countries exempt from high-debt constraints.”

Finally, as a committed partner to Eurobridge, FIEC called for collective awareness: the infrastructures of tomorrow must be designed with increased demands in terms of quality and resilience.

FIEC is glad to wish its Greek member, PEDMEDE, all the best on a very important year marking their 90th anniversary.

ABOUT PEDMEDE:

The “Panhellenic Association of Engineers Contractors of Public Works” has been representing the construction sector in Greece since its establishment in 1935.
Its members are individuals, contractors of public works as well as companies active in specific technical areas. Headquartered in Athens, PEDMDE has 15 regional departments.
In the core of its scope, the association aims to ensure and promote its members’ interests and welfare at a national and regional level, and works in close cooperation with public authorities, institutional bodies and key stakeholders of the construction sector to help shaping the relevant target legislation at governmental level.

Among the many Presidents who have marked the history of FIEC, we would like to pay tribute to Ioannis Papaioannou, who brilliantly led our European Federation from 1996 to 1998 and to Michael Daktylidis, former Vice-President of FIEC.