New FIEC Annual Report 2023 is online

Under the new slogan “Building a resilient and sustainable Europe together”, the new FIEC Annual Report presents the highlights of our activities and initiatives from November 2022 to October 2023, as well as those of our partner organisations, the European International Contractors (EIC) and the Confederation of International Contractors’ Associations (CICA).

Featuring a timeline of FIEC’s key issues, events and updated thematic factsheets, the Annual Report provides an overview of the main policies, projects, figures and milestones achieved in 2022-2023.

We hope you enjoy reading it and invite you to share it with your community and networks.

You can access the Annual Report by clicking on the tab below.

 

   ANNUAL REPORT   

FIEC Manifesto for Action EU Term 2024-2029

During the FIEC General Assembly meeting held in Paris on 7 December 2023, a new strategic publication was presented to the participants, namely:The FIEC Manifesto for Action – EU Term 2024-2029 entitled “Building a resilient and sustainable Europe together“.
The Manifesto is available both online in full version and in e-leaflet format (flyer, Manifesto ‘in brief’).

Ahead of the European elections in June 2024, FIEC is ready to start disseminating its 10 key messages to the candidates. The Manifesto sets out our vision for the future of construction in Europe and for the sector, over the next 5 years.

 

   FIEC MANIFESTO   

EU legislators reach agreement on revised Construction Products Regulation

On 13 December, the European Parliament and the Council reached a provisional agreement on the revised Construction Products Regulation (CPR).The agreement clarifies the scope of the new regulation and streamlines and simplifies the standard-setting process. The European Commission will be able to publish standards more quickly and will be empowered to use a fall-back solution in the case of lengthy procedures: Under certain conditions, it will be allowed to adopt harmonised technical specifications on its own.

In addition, a number of environmental requirements will have to be disclosed by manufacturers. For example, the global warming potential of construction products will have to be disclosed for the first time in the product’s “declaration of performance”.

Product information will also be available digitally through a Digital Product Passport for Construction Products. The new CPR also empowers the European Commission to set mandatory minimum requirements for green public procurement.

A major drawback from FIEC’s perspective is the long transition period (until 2039) from the current (EU 305/2011) to the revised CPR, which is likely to create immense planning uncertainty for contractors.

The full text of the agreement is not yet available. FIEC will comment on the agreement once it has seen the complete final text.

 

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FIEC at MOBICCON-PRO conference on circular construction

On 12 December, FIEC participated in a panel discussion at a conference on “Circularity in the Construction Sector – Trends in the EU and Bulgaria“, hosted by the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and jointly organised by the project partners of the MOBICCON-PRO (“Mobile and Innovative Circularity For Construction Products“) project, of which FIEC is a partner.The conference brought together speakers from the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce, the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Regional Development, mayors of various municipalities, as well as representatives of the business, finance and academia.

During its presentation, FIEC highlighted that the transition to a fully-fledged circular economy in the EU is still hampered by many barriers, such as the lack of regulatory requirements that can drive demand for circular approaches, or the lack of standards for secondary materials.

MOBICCON-PRO aims to develop, implement and demonstrate integrated innovative circular solutions to recover resources from construction and demolition waste (CDW) and reduce the consumption of raw construction materials through the application of in-situ selective separation/demolition, novel CDW recycling and the production of recycled and innovative construction materials, components and products.

 

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FIEC in Helsinki at EFBWW Congress

The European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW) held its Congress in Helsinki from 12 to 14 December. On this occasion, FIEC First Vice-President Piero Petrucco and Director General Domenico Campogrande were invited as speakers.During a panel discussion on women in construction, Domenico Campogrande presented the main challenges and and opportunities on the topic and shared with the participants good practices implemented at national level.

Piero Petrucco intervened in a panel discussion focussing on the 30th anniversary of the Single Market, alongside Cosmin Boiangiu, Executive Director of the European Labour Authority (ELA). Piero Petrucco reiterated the need to work together through social dialogue to ensure fair mobility within the EU single market.

 

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Construction 2050 Alliance “Call and commitment for the new EU political term”

Ahead of the European elections in June 2024, the Construction 2050 Alliance – of which FIEC is an active member – published its “Call and commitment for the new EU political term“, highlighting how fundamental the construction industry is to the people, the economy, the green transition and the overall EU competitiveness.The Alliance is calling for a multi-stakeholder coordinated EU policy approach to improve the climate resilience of our sector’s processes and outputs under the new European Commission mandate.

The Construction 2050 Alliance is committed to establishing an annual high-level summit for the built environment, bringing together all relevant policy makers at EU and national level to take stock of developments in the construction market. In order to continue to make its indispensable contribution to the achievement of the EU’s environmental, social and economic ambitions. Work must start no later than the beginning of 2024, in coordination with the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

The Construction 2050 Alliance is determined to invest its time and resources to ensure that the construction industry’s fundamental contribution is recognised and supported by future decision-makers and legislators.

 

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Achieving Carbon and Resource Neutrality in European Construction: New joint publication

FIEC, the EIC (European International Contractors) and ENCORD (European Network of Construction Companies for Research and Development) published a new joint publication to deliver their common messages on how to achieve carbon and resource neutrality in the European construction sector.This publication provides a long-term vision and plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase resource efficiency. The initiative follows up this year’s COP28 UAE and aims to bring the EU construction industry in line with global netzero commitments.

In his foreword, Maroš Šefčovič, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission and in charge of delivering the EU Green Deal, acknowledges the construction industry’s key role in this endeavour.

The shared commitment aims at advocating a shift from the linear to a circular business model to drastically reduce waste production and raw materials consumption, which requires overhauling and modernising the construction regulatory landscape.

Radical changes across the entire industry and unprecedented collaboration will be needed. To help all stakeholders and business prepare for this phase, the publication highlights 6 strategic pillars, discussed in detail by leading figures within the construction industry.

Discover the 6 pillars and the people making a difference behind those by clicking the below tab.

For more details, please read a full Press Release.

 

   DOWNLOAD FILE

Dear Reader,

The end of the year is just around the corner, so we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for partnering with us and following us through 2023, which was full of opportunities that turned into actions.

We are ready for new challenges and send you our best wishes for a joyful and festive Christmas and New Year.

Our newsletter will be back on Tuesday 9 January 2024.

Best regards,

The FIEC Team