Member States adopt EPBD: imminent publication in EU Official Journal

On 12 April, the EU Council approved the agreement on the new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), paving the way for its publication in the Official Journal of the EU. This adoption marks the end of two and a half years of debated negotiations in the European Parliament and the Council.FIEC welcomes the new EPBD.  If properly implemented by Member States – they have two years to comply with the new Directive – the new EPBD will boost the European renovation market, strengthen the many SMEs and micro-enterprises in the construction sector and help the EU meet its legal commitment to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

However, FIEC believes that there are a number of unanswered questions regarding the shortage of skilled workers, the cost-effectiveness of financing renovations, the feasibility and comparability of life-cycle global warming potential disclosures for new buildings, and the impact of the new zero-emissions building standard on the cost of building new homes.

FIEC’s reaction to the adoption can be found below.

 

   PRESS RELEASE 

European Parliament’s Agreement on Construction Products and Position on Soil Law

On 10 April, the European Parliament approved the inter-institutional agreement on the revised EU Construction Products Regulation (CPR). The CPR has been significantly simplified by excluding on-site installation, dismantling and manufacturing of products from its scope.This will save contractors a considerable amount of time and money (several full-time employees per year). The process of setting standards has also been streamlined and these rules will support the sector’s move towards sustainability, circularity and digitalisation.

The new CPR will not be published immediately in the Official Journal of the EU as it is subject to the ‘corrigendum procedure’ under Rule 241 of the European Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, which will delay its final adoption.

The European Parliament has also adopted its position on the proposal for a Soil Monitoring Law, which will allow it to start negotiations with the Council on a final version of the text after the EU Elections. FIEC considers this position to be balanced: According to the Parliament, the so-called “principles for mitigating land take” must take into account “sustainable housing, essential infrastructure and renewable energy projects”.

 

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European Commission announces two workshops on Sustainable Finance and Reporting

The European Commission will host two workshops on sustainable finance and sustainability reporting.On 22 April, a workshop organised by the European Commission and the Sustainable Finance Platform will show how the EU framework for sustainable finance can mobilise green private finance and support the transition efforts of the real economy, providing business and investment opportunities for companies. Register to the workshop via this link.

On 16 May, the European Commission will host a half-day hybrid event entitled “Supporting companies in applying the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) / Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive“. Register to the workshop via this link.

Construction 2050 Alliance’s “Open Letter” on Housing Crisis

On 9 April, the Construction 2050 Alliance, of which FIEC is one of the active members, presented its “Open Letter” on the current housing crisis that is affecting several Member States. The presentation took place at the European Parliament on the occasion of the meeting of the “Urban Intergroup”, led by MEP Jan Olbrycht (PL-EPP).

The aim of the “Open Letter” is on the one hand to raise awareness on the significant decline of new housing activities observed in various Member States and, on the other hand, to identify potential solutions.

Whilst most of the regulatory framework and responsibilities related to housing are of national or even local competence, the issue has become of European relevance and therefore requires also interventions from the EU level.

The needs for housing in general and in particular for affordable housing are significantly growing in all Member States and if they remain unanswered they may become the trigger for a “perfect storm”.

Visit of FIEC’s Swedish Member Federation

On 9 April, a delegation from our Swedish member federation, Byggföretagen, came to Brussels to meet with EU institutions and policy makers.

This was also the occasion for a meeting with the FIEC team. Discussions focused on the Manifesto for the forthcoming EU Elections, the main messages from the construction industry to the candidates, and the EU’s Nature Restoration Law.

These regular contacts and exchanges with our member federations are essential in identifying priorities and understanding specific needs.

 

   FIEC MANIFESTO   

European Commission’s Report on Decarbonisation of the Transport Infrastructure

On 3 April, DG MOVE of the European Commission presented the Joint Final Report issued by the industry and scientific experts on decarbonisation of the transport infrastructure construction. The report, which is the result of the combined efforts of two working groups of industry representatives and another of academics, was launched during the Connecting Europe Days.

The report shows that a wide range of decarbonisation measures are already available, covering all stages of the infrastructure lifecycle. It also underlines the importance of an integrated approach to maximise the decarbonisation potential and identifies specific tools and measures to achieve this. A catalogue of 24 EU policy recommendations to address the bottlenecks to the deployment of those measures is also included.

FIEC President Philip Crampton considered it a privilege to participate in the working group and hopes that further discussions on decarbonisaton on infrastructure will take place in the future. He also congratulated all those involved in producing the report.

 

   REPORT   

Kick-off Workshop of SIDE-CIC project – Registration is open

The European Social Partners in the construction sector, FIEC and the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW), are organising a workshop of the “Social Identity Cards in Construction” (SIDE-CIC) project on 23 May 2024 in Brussels.The event will gather national social partners and key stakeholders in the construction sector, inspectors, and EU representatives to discuss the impact of social ID cards on the European construction sector and to explore opportunities coming from the interconnection of these tools. The discussion will build on the presentation of the results of a mapping of existing social ID cards in the European Construction sector. This presentation aims to provide participants with an overview of the employed technologies, data captured and scope.

You can find logistic information and register here.

 

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