FIEC Newsletter – 22 Νοεμβρίου 2022

As the Council of the EU is close to reaching a common negotiating position on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), there is disagreement on whether companies should do due diligence for their entire value chain or just the supply chain.A coalition of Member States, including France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, are pushing to narrow the scope of the directive to the supply chain of a company. It has been reported that a majority of Member States consider that the directive should focus on the upstream part of the value chain, not the downstream.

FIEC and EIC have argued that by extending the scope of the legal obligations to the whole value chain, the proposal sets up a system based on unrealistic expectations on contracting companies specifically, harming their competitiveness and imposing disproportional administrative burdens.

On the side of the European Parliament, JURI rapporteur, Lara Wolters (S&D), published her draft report on 7 November 2022.

A strategic venture with multiple environmental and social benefits – that gives new impetus to the management of ECDW (Excavation, Construction & Demolition Waste) in Greece – has been accomplished by the Heracles Group joining the Collective ECDW Management System, PEDMEDE ECO.
PEDMEDE ECO has been established by the Panhellenic Association of Engineers Contractors of Public Works – PEDMEDE, FIEC’s Greek member federation.Referring to this venture, Mr. Michail Daktylidis, PEDMEDE President, stated: “The strategic cooperation between the leading HERACLES Group, member of HOLCIM Group, and PEDMEDE, the largest Αssociation of Εngineers, Contractors of Public Works and the only one with European representation, marks a new beginning for the management of ECDW and the operation of PEDMEDE ECO. Guided by the credibility and reliability of PEDMEDE ECO, it is certain that both companies will achieve and promote their common targets regarding circular economy as well as restructuring and upgrading of the sector.”

On 15th November, MEP Christian Doleschal (EPP/Germany), the rapporteur in the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO), responsible for adopting a common position on the proposal for a revised Construction Products Regulation (CPR), published its draft report.According to FIEC’s preliminary analysis and from the point of view of contractors, the draft report is a step in the right direction. It aims at, for example, reducing the complexity for economic actors throughout the construction value chain by deleting provisions that present a real risk of “regulatory overreach”. It also clarifies that the CPR should apply to the sale of construction products but not to works contracts and services by excluding the direct installation of products from the scope, and also clarifies the Regulation’s relationship to national building regulations.

In addition, it aims at streamlining the standardisation procedure by introducing certain measures such as binding criteria for the quality of standards. Finally, it aims at creating legal and planning security for the transition period by introducing a shorter period and by setting up a “Working Plan for Transition”.

The Industry and Energy Committee (ITRE) also published its draft opinion on 18th November (rapporteur: MEP Pascal Arimont, EPP/Belgium). The draft reports will be discussed in the next weeks in the European Parliament and a vote in the IMCO Committee is currently scheduled for March 2023.

Arno Visser will become the new President of our Dutch member federation Koninklijke Bouwend Nederland as of March 2023. The General Board of the Trade Associations for Construction & Infrastructure unanimously approved his appointment at the beginning of November. Currently President of the Court of Audit, Visser will succeed Maxime Verhagen, who has been at the head of the association over ten years. Visser’s mandate covers period of four years.Arno Visser (age 56) worked at the General Court of Auditors for nine years and previously served as alderman of Almere. He was a Member of Parliament and worked for KPMG and Nuon, among others. During his presidency of the Court of Auditors, he ensured that the recommendations of this High Board of State were adopted more often, thus contributing to the improvement of the legitimacy and effectiveness of central government income and expenditure.

A delegation from our  Dutch member federation, Koninklijke Bouwend Nederland, visited FIEC in Brussels on 14th November.
A good opportunity to share views, knowledge and updates about construction matters and key policies, and to keep on “building” together! FIEC staff presented the current issues discussed at EU level, such as  the Construction Products Regulation (CPR), the recast of the Energy Performance in Buildings Directive (EPBD), Due Diligence, Asbestos, Skills & Digitalisation, EU Taxonomy & Sustainable Finance, among others.