- “Um, I can actually only agree with everything that's been said. I would have said the same thing on skilling, on better working conditions, on more stable working conditions and having a place where I can go and not have to drive all the time. One of the productivity problems in construction is also that big markets have for quite a while relied on cheap labor, cheap unskilled labor. That has also driven the lack of digitalization until now, because there was no need. And it has also not brought forward modern methods of construction.”
Regulation of teleworking labour conditions · Construction products
- “Construction is suffering from low productivity and the difficulty to attract and keep qualified workers. Productivity is indeed 30% lower than in manufacturing. And it's not increasing. It's decreasing. We are convinced that automation, off site construction at scale will substantially increase productivity and improve working conditions. At the same time, building regulations, outdated perceptions, and restricted private and public procurement criteria. Hold back exactly this industry with high upfront investment. Market stability for these industries is essential. So we will support the stability through standards for building elements and kits. Specifically, they will allow the CE marking and thereby the marketing across Europe of elements for prefabrication. In addition, we will be forerunners in standards for cement and steel that improve the marketing of new products and the decarbonisation of the industry. Second, we propose to boost circularity and facilitate access to raw materials, including reused and recycled. The potential of reuse and recycling of construction materials and products is great, and certainly not yet fully exploited. So our aim is to increase significantly the market for these secondary materials. The Digital European Construction Resource Assessment shall provide the basis for creating that market. We take inspiration from member States, especially France, for the data on the availability of post-demolition materials that may be reused in new projects, and this will go hand in hand with the definition of end of waste criteria for construction products. When is it demolished? Construction product a product again and not waste? Third, we endeavour to lower barriers to skills transfer at European level.”
Circular economy · Construction products · EU Single Market harmonisation
- “Well, thank you very much. Many of the things you said resonate very much with our thinking, um, especially that permitting is the major issue. Um, as I said in our in my intervention that we are at the moment looking at all of that. And we need buy in from you. We need buy in from the council. We need buy in from the member States for whatever we we want to propose. Um, but we consider looking at permitting and how we can make it simpler and faster, how we can also marry, digitizing and permitting especially, and how we can get in the whole value chain of, of of construction, the digitalization, because we believe that beyond all regulatory and there are often local regulatory requirements, the way we do it will in any case accelerate what we can do to align better or to simplify potentially regulation would really depend on the discussions we'll have in the next, next month and for for which these kind of hearings are extremely useful in terms of SMEs everything we do has a big view on SMEs, and that's not only because it's part of the name of our of our, um, our director general, but because also in construction, everybody has mentioned it. Smes are the major actors and they're often micro-enterprises. Here we also see a generational change, um, of now digital natives coming into the coming into the industry. And therefore we believe there will be changes in how I run my company anyway. But we want to support them with all the actions we at the moment have in have in mind, where we will always have a specific look at SMEs. Certainly.”
EU policy on permitting for renewable energy projects · Construction products
- “Um, absolutely. Um, first, it's a bit too early. We are sort of two weeks after the unit has hasn't been dismantled, but it has. Many of the actors have left to DG employment, so it's not that we don't work on that at all anymore, but not as a unit in this directorate general. Um, we on our construction strategy, since we are looking mainly at the supply side of housing, and we believe that's a really, really important part of it. Um, but we are also looking at who will actually finance, who will actually finance and how can it be financed. And we are very much interested in a broad finance in broad and various financing mechanisms. But then it's also the housing task force who may be better placed to to answer the question exactly on the, um, on on how that is generally playing out when I can promise for the commission as a whole is that we really look at all aspects and we are bringing them all together and wherever the actors are, whether they are in the taskforce, whether in DG, whether they are in DG, competition for the stated aspects, whether they are DG employment or with us, we will bring it all together and we will definitely not neglect the the social, social, housing and classical sense aspect at all in what we as a commission as a whole do.”
Energy performance of buildings · EU housing policy
- “Thank you very much, chair. Um, I'm very happy to be here, because today's programme is really at the heart of the commission's reflections on how to address the housing crisis. Um, so we have agreed that I will focus more on the European strategy for housing construction reflections than on how we actually organise ourselves at the commission level. But certainly we develop our strategy in permanent exchange and coordination with various commission services fronted and coordinated by the Housing Task Force. Who is represented also today here by one of their distinguished members, um in DG grow. Specifically, we aim to unlock the full potential, the full economic and competitiveness potential of the construction ecosystem to increase the supply of housing. So we are looking especially at the supply side, and we aim that the European strategy for housing construction will be a comprehensive strategy with a number of pillars and a series of concrete actions, and we will develop it also with all of you. We have our ideas, but we will need your continuous input. We look at the whole value chain. And at a wide range of factors that influence the delivery of affordable housing. And I would like to give you a sneak preview into the gist of our current thinking. First, we intend to create innovative lead markets. The construction industry overall is not really famous for its innovative drive. I know there are always exceptions.”
Construction products · EU housing policy
- “So we intend to harness various EU funding programmes in the service of creating the conditions to boost housing supply. Six. And finally, the success of all of that depends for the market players on securing the permitting, in its widest sense for any housing project. Repurposing. Renovation. Horizontal and vertical extension. New projects. So it's no surprise that stakeholders across the spectrum mentioned to us that permitting is one of the main concerns in accelerating construction, construction and supply of housing. At the same time, here at the Commission here in Brussels, we lack a clear and comprehensive picture of the situation. What in detail are the problems and barriers? How do they interact? Which balances should be struck? And between legitimate and important regulatory needs and housing shortage. Who should act on it? In short, we need a thorough mapping before we can propose concrete actions. And we need all your expertise in the room and online and your support for that to succeed. Because on the basis of such a mapping, we are ready to look at everything that may improve the situation and reduce the barriers that permitting processes present to an increased housing supply. Chairperson. Honourable members, ladies and gentlemen, we look forward to an enriching and fruitful discussion today and a successful cooperation in the future. Thank you.”
Energy performance of buildings · EU housing policy
- “New methods of construction require new skills. They also require the access to skilled staff across Europe, and the certainty of workers to be able to use their skills everywhere. Today, this is not fully the case. Certificates acquired in one member state are often not recognised in another, making the mobility of skilled staff difficult. This, we are convinced, holds back innovation and circularity because people will not be able to sell their skills all across Europe for. We need to go digital as fully as possible. They are endless possibilities to go digital in construction. The full potential has certainly not been reached at European level, nor generally at member states level and below. Some EU member states can be lighthouses for all others. Many stages of a construction product can be digitized. So can many administrative steps and so can the interaction. New EU legislation and initiatives in the area of construction. Construction go digital. The construction products regulation of the digital product passport is the most prominent example and so is the Ispr. Digitizing the whole construction value chain will unquestionably boost competitiveness, competitiveness and productivity. So we work closely with member States, industry and everybody else to define the level of support we can and should provide at EU level. Through the full digitalization of construction. We also aim to secure fifth support for the industry through financing the De-risks, especially new and innovative products and construction methods.”
Construction products · EU Single Market harmonisation · Product passport
- “I was asked specifically about the definition to which, um, let's say there are very as you said, there are various definitions on what is affordable housing, and they often come from social policy and define them, whether you have access to specific housing projects or whether you get handout or whether you get help, whether you get the the right to, to apply for, for for some subsidies. And for us, the problem is much broader. It's about the affordability of housing quite in general. Also said, well, it goes very much up into the middle classes. So what we want to to look at is really how can we make housing affordable in praxis Practice. What kind of measures can we do that it doesn't have to be that expensive. That doesn't mean that for specific areas like social policy initiatives, financial initiatives and things like that, we need a clear definition on what is then affordable in that context.”
Minimum income harmonisation at EU level · EU housing policy · EU competences on social policies