EU capitals need political will to deliver on green buildings law, say energy experts

EU member states will need technical support to implement the newly agreed Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, but political will across the 27 capitals will be crucial to deliver on the new sustainable buildings law.

After long months of negotiations and attempts in some EU member states to torpedo its adoption, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPDB) is set to enter into force on 28 May.

The EPBD is the main piece of legislation in the European Green Deal tackling the buildings sector, which accounts for 40% of the bloc’s energy consumption and 36% of its greenhouse gas emissions. It aims to bring the sector towards climate neutrality by 2050, by doubling down on energy efficiency and increasing the renovation of buildings.

All new buildings should be zero emissions as of 2030.

EU capitals have two years to transpose the EPBD into their national legislations, but experts worry that some member states lack the political will to deliver on the objective of the legislation, seeing how controversial the negotiations became, with some of its key aspects being watered down, and the backlash it received in some countries like Italy.

Framework for decarbonisation

“[The EPBD] landed in a good place, all things considered, and we have some really important provisions. There’s a clear framework for decarbonisation of the sector,” Julie Kjestrup, the President at the European Alliance of Companies for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EuroACE), told a EURACTIV event on May 23.

“What worries me, is when we look at the reluctance to agree on the EPBD. And the very negative tones in which this is also discussed. A lot of discussion here is about burden, about safeguards, right? But what are we talking about here? We’re talking about people: people spent 90% of your time in buildings, should this not be on every politicians top list?” she added.

Improving the efficiency and the carbon footprint of buildings will increase Europe’s energy independence, help consumers in reducing their energy bills, and create green jobs in the construction sector. However, several mainly right-wing political forces have taken a stance against the bill, arguing that it will put pressure on lower-income households and increase housing prices.

“There will be [political will] if citizens see that as an opportunity as an investment in their livelihoods,” said Stefan Moser, a senior EU official at the European Commission’s energy department. “[These benefits] need to be explained, but also then discussed and identified together notably at local level in concrete projects.”

Societal will

Adrian Heyer, head of the Brussels office at the Association of the German Construction Industry, said that it was “societal will” in particular that it was required.

“There was a lot of political will in Germany, when we put forward a first proposal on getting rid of fossil for fossil fuelled heating in housing,” he told the same EURACTIV event. Heyer said: “(…) it produced a backlash in society, because people got afraid that they would have to change within weeks, their heating system, and perceiving it as a burden.”

“So, the issue was not the political will, but how it was communicated, and how society understood it,” he added: “And they felt threatened. House and home are an emotional things.”

Technical assistance and support

As in any other EU directive, member states will be on the drivers’ seat when implementing the legislation. And in delivering on the EPBD, EU capitals will need “lots of support”, according to Matti Kuittinen, Professor of Sustainable Construction at the Aalto University in Finland.

“There are so many ways in how you can implement certain key features of [the directive], which are new to almost all member states, such as the calculation of whole life carbon of buildings,” Kuittinen told the event.

“It’s not only like playing the rules to calculate carbon footprints like this or assess carbon storages like that, but also how to get this into processes of small and medium sized construction and design company,” he added.

Eva Brardinelli, Buildings Policy Coordinator at NGO Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, said EU capitals must engage with local governments and civil society representatives.

“They will be the people who will be the representatives, the actors who will be able to feed the planning tools in the EPBD and the national building renovation plans with the needs and the capacities of the people on the ground, to really carry out renovations and also understanding how much financing is needed,” she told the EURACTIV event.

This article follows the Euractiv-organised policy debate “Building a sustainable future – The revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive” supported by GREENFOOT.

[By Anna Gumbau I Edited by Brian Maguire | Euractiv’s Advocacy Lab ]

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