Technical and environmental commission (TEC)

Brief description and main aims: 

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is the EU's main legislative instrument promoting the improvement of the energy performance of buildings within the EU. It is currently being revised with the aim to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and final energy consumption in the building sector by 2030, and to set a long-term vision for an EU building sector that is climate-neutral by 2050. In this respect, the recast EPBD aims to increase the rate and depth of renovations of energy-efficient buildings, improve information on energy performance and sustainability of buildings; guarantee that all new buildings meet ambitious minimum energy performance standards; and ensure that all buildings in future are in line with the 2050 climate neutrality requirements. The recast EPBD builds on the “Renovation Wave” strategy of 2020, which aims to at least double the annual renovation rate in the EU from 1% to 2% by 2030.

Why FIEC is dealing with this topic:

Buildings are responsible for approximately 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions in the EU. Currently, about 35% of the EU's buildings are over 50 years old and almost 75% of the building stock is energy-inefficient, while only 0.4-1.2% of the building stock is renovated each year. Therefore, the renovation of existing buildings has the potential to lead to significant energy savings. Investments in energy efficiency can stimulate the construction industry. SMEs would particularly benefit from a boosted renovation market. 

FIEC adopted its position paper on the European Commission’s proposal in March 2022. On 18 May, the European Commission proposed to re-amend the recast EPBD proposal by introducing a so-called “solar mandate” for certain building types and for all residential buildings by 2029 as part of its“REPowerEU plans”, a legislative package aiming at making the EU more independent vis-à-vis Russian fossil fuels.

In the European Parliament, the ‘lead’ rapporteur in the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy submitted his draft report to the Parliament in early June 2022, and proposed amendments that went well beyond the Commission proposal. FIEC submitted amendments to the European Parliament at the end of June. In October 2022, the vote in the responsible committee  was postponed and is currently scheduled to take place in early 2023.

In the Council, the Czech EU Council Presidency reached agreement on the proposal on 25th October between the 27 Member States. This so-called “general approach” will allow the Council to enter into interinstitutional negotiations on the EPBD. These decisive negotiations between EU institutions are expected to start in 2023.

Brief description and main aims: 

In July 2021, the European Commission published “Part I” of its “Fit for 55 package”. The package is a response to calls for greater action to ensure the achievement of the updated climate target of 55% reduction in emissions by 2030. This new climate target updated the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement targets, which set out the 20/20/20 goals, namely the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 20%, the increase of renewable energy's market share to 20% and a 20% increase in energy efficiency – all by 2030. The package contains 13 legislative proposals which mainly update – and in some cases extend - existing instruments, such as the Emissions Trading System, the Renewable Energy Directive II, the Energy Efficiency Directive, the Energy Taxation Directive, or the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive. The Commission also put forward proposals for a “Social Climate Fund”. “Part II” of the package, including the proposal for a recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), was published in December 2021. 

Why FIEC is dealing with this topic: 

The “Fit for 55” package has large potential for the construction industry. First, it is a business opportunity. The industry is an enabler for reaching the climate objectives by constructing sustainable infrastructure, such as charging infrastructure for vehicles, and by improving the performance of the building stock. Second, tackling different phases of the life cycle, the legislative proposals are an enabling framework for decarbonising construction works throughout their lifecycle. 

At the same time, the transition to carbon neutrality will be particularly challenging due to the costs of low-carbon construction. Without effective financial incentives for clients and companies, the shift to more sustainable construction risks not being affordable and contributing to high levels of inflation at macroeconomic level. It is therefore essential to enable clients (public and private) to purchase greener construction through the massive roll-out of sustainable finance and sustainable public expenditure. 

On 18 May, the European Commission published its “REPowerEU” package, including proposals to update the Renewable Energy Directive and increase the renewable target to 45% by 2030, and to update the recast Energy Efficiency Directive as a response to the Russian war in Ukraine.

FIEC expects the package to have a wide-ranging impact on the construction supply chain with the proposed pieces of legislation affecting the whole life cycle of construction works. Most of the proposals have now reached the stage of interinstitutional negotiations and will be adopted in the course of 2023.

Brief description and main aims: 

The European Construction, built environment and energy efficient building Technology Platform (ECTP) is a leading membership organisation promoting and influencing the future of the built environment. Founded in 2004, ECTP brings together the collective vision for a leading edge European built environment on behalf of its members. ECTP has around 150 member organisations from across the construction sector and other sectors from the whole supply chain of the built environment. Its diverse membership across 26 countries, large enterprises, SMEs, universities, research organisations and professional associations allows it to take an integrated approach to tackling all relevant issues. It connects people and organisations from across the supply chain, helping them to work collectively to improve the position on many societal and industrial issues including energy, climate change, efficiency and infrastructure. The European Council for Construction Research, Development and Innovation (ECCREDI) was created in Brussels in 1995 with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by representatives of European federations concerned with construction, in its widest sense.  The aim of ECCREDI is to contribute to the competitiveness, quality, safety and environmental performance of the construction sector and to the overall sustainability of the built environment – all urban and transport infrastructures – by advocating for effective construction research, technological and process development and innovation. ECCREDI adds value as a European council that connects its members and establishes areas of common interest, for which joint action is more successful than isolated approaches from individual members.

Why FIEC is dealing with this topic: 

FIEC is a member of ECTP and has a representative in the Steering Committee. Its membership enables the federation to ensure that specific research programmes are appropriate for the construction industry. The ECTP membership is also a way of finding potential partners for projects, or of being invited to participate by other organisations in appropriate research and other EU projects. ECTP is one of the co-signatories in the Built4People (B4P) partnership, launched under the new Horizon Europe programme in 2021. FIEC is also member of ECCREDI. The current priority is to ensure that Horizon Europe (the research framework programme) contains adequate opportunities for contractors and that the construction-focused part of the programme is well co-ordinated by the Built4People partnership.