FIEC speaks at Belgian “Renovation Week”
As part of the Belgian Renovation Week held in Brussels on 18 January, organised by the Belgian Presidency of the EU, FIEC Director General, Domenico Campogrande, participated in the closing session of the 4-days event. Among the other speakers were Philippe Henry, Walloon Minister for Climate and Energy, Yamina Saheb, member of the International Panel on Climate Change and Mechthild Wörsdörfer, Deputy Director General of DG ENER (European Commission).
During the discussion, Mr Campogrande said that “(…) FIEC identified two main issues that remain key to the successful implementation of the EU’s Renovation Strategy: The ‘financing issue’ – i.e., how to financially support households and businesses in their renovation efforts; and the ‘labour issue’ , i.e., the lack of skilled workers to carry out energy efficient renovations”.
He also stressed that “construction companies are ready to play their part in the Renovation Wave, which must be fair and socially equitable. The available EU funds, such as the Recovery Fund or the Just Transition Mechanism, must be optimally used by Member States to make renovation cost-effective“.
Trowers & Hamlins joins FIEC as Supporting Member
FIEC’s family expands to the United Kingdom: On 7 December 2023, during its General Assembly held in Paris, FIEC announced a new member: the law firm Trowers & Hamlins, which has joined as “Supporting Member”.Based at the heart of London, Trowers & Hamlins operates at internationally with over 170 partners and more than 1,000 staff located in the UK, Middle East and Asia.
Throughout its long history, the firm has cherished the values that have made it a leading law firm, an inclusive and exciting place to work. Some 240 years later, these attributes remain firmly embedded in the firm’s culture and practices. Its pool of experts is world-renowned for providing transactional and advisory legal services that offer clients fresh thinking and commercially driven solutions.
In his welcome statement, FIEC President, Philip Crampton, informed that «the firm is joining FIEC with of aim of contributing to the promotion and voicing of the interests of the construction industry and related services. The new partnership will bring a complementary added-value and contribute to the work of our Federation».
Tim Hillier, Partner at Trowers & Hamlins, said that «We are very proud to have become the first official Supporting Member of FIEC which complements our ongoing presence in the European construction market and the work we undertake for European and UK contractors involved in infrastructure and engineering projects across Europe» – and concluded – «We look forward to working with members of FIEC, its commissions and working groups to continue to build a resilient and sustainable construction industry that works for all».
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EU Data Act enters into force: towards a fair and innovative data economy
The new rules set out in the European Data Act – that entered into force in 11 January – define the rights to access and use data generated in the EU across all economic sectors and will make it easier to share data, especially industrial data.The Data Act is a key milestone of the Commission’s data strategy, which is an important enabler for meeting the 2030 digital decade objectives. It will ensure fairness in the digital environment and stimulate a competitive and innovative data market.
Following its entry into force, the Data Act will become applicable on 12 September 2025.
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“Water Resilience” Strategy: last environmental initiative of current EU term
In 2023, the European Commission had announced the launch of the “Water Resilience Initiative” for the first or second quarter of 2024 with the aim to ensure sustainable water management and combat water scarcity. It is now clear that this strategy will be the last environmental initiative of the current legislature.Key elements will include integrating water efficiency and protection into the practices of major water users in sectors such as energy, agriculture, industry (including construction) and transport, applying water pricing as foreseen in the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC, and increasing EU investment in water and sanitation.
The initiative is expected to be presented in the Summer. Depending on the outcome of the European elections, the strategy could pre-empt a EU Blue Deal, a more comprehensive EU strategy for sustainable water management.
ConTech Summit:
18-19 March 2024, Austin (Texas)
On 18 and 19 March, the Construction Technology Summit – “ConTech Summit 2024” is taking place, in Austin, Texas, USA.As supportive association of the event, FIEC has seized this opportunity to be a player at global level. The ConTech Summit is an innovative collaborative platform for a digitised future of sustainable construction and the build environment.
This year’s programme is presenting the latest trends and cutting-edge solutions redefining construction machines and methodologies, sustainability practices and project management, and a variety of topics e.g., BIM. It will include knowledge-sharing sessions, panel discussions, technology demonstrations and keynotes from some of the industry’s foremost pioneers.
Registration is open at this link.
Programme and speakers: click here.
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Discover OSHwiki, a digital tool of the EU Healthy Workplaces campaign
This is a collaborative online encyclopaedia made available to offer expert knowledge and reliable information on OSH matters.Surf the OSHwiki to explore a series of articles and stories on the campaign topic, including:- Occupational risk assessment in micro-enterprises: the assets of digital tools;
– A review on the future of work: robotics;
– Human machine interface;
– Collaborating robots;
– Musculo-Skeletal Disorders (MSD);
– Psychosocial issues and the changing world of work;
– 3D printing and additive manufacturing.
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