Priorities

In the EU, the construction sector is responsible for around 40% of CO2 emissions and, according to figures of the European Commission, for over 35% of the EU’s total waste generation. Greenhouse gas emissions from material extraction, manufacturing of construction products, construction and renovation of buildings are estimated at 5-12% of total national GHG emissions. The Commission estimates that greater material efficiency could save 80% of those emissions.

The European Commission published a new Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) in March 2020. It is one of the main building blocks of the European Green Deal. The CEAP introduces legislative and non-legislative measures that focus on the sectors that use most resources and where the potential for circularity is high, such as construction and buildings.

These measures include, inter alia:

• addressing the sustainability performance of construction products in the context of the revision of the Construction Product Regulation;
• promoting measures to improve the durability and adaptability of built assets in line with the circular economy principles for buildings design and developing digital logbooks for buildings;
• using the EU’s sustainability reporting framework Level(s) to integrate life cycle assessments in public procurement and the EU’s sustainable finance framework;
• considering a revision of material recovery targets set in EU legislation for construction and demolition waste and its material-specific fractions;
• promoting initiatives to reduce soil sealing, rehabilitate abandoned or contaminated brownfields and increase the safe, sustainable and circular use of excavated soils.

Furthermore, the “Renovation Wave Strategy” is currently being implemented in line with circular economy principles, notably optimised life cycle performance.

Our position on the Circular Economy Action Plan can be found here.

European Blue Deal

Several regions in Europe, particularly in Western and Southern Europe, are experiencing regular water shortages and have been facing permanent water restrictions since the spring of 2022.

Even 'water-rich' countries in Central and Northern Europe are experiencing water shortages, while others are experiencing 'water surpluses': For example, Slovenia, Austria and Hungary were hit by flash floods in 2023, destroying buildings and bridges. 

In the face of rising temperatures and increasingly frequent natural disasters caused by global warming, more decisive and forward-looking EU action on water is urgently needed.
Therefore, FIEC supports the plans of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), in particular the Declaration for a European Blue Deal, and joins the EESC and other European stakeholders in calling for a pan-European and holistic approach to water policy. 

The European construction sector is “part of the solution, not the problem” for the Blue Deal. Construction companies are extensively involved in water-related projects and provide essential services related to water infrastructure, including outside the EU and Europe. These services are mainly provided to local authorities, public enterprises, private enterprises or the State/Government and are vital for water treatment, transport and distribution, consumption and storage, but also for flood protection. 

The construction of new water infrastructure and the maintenance and repair of Europe's old water infrastructure (most of Europe's water transport and supply networks were built between 1960 and 1970 or even earlier) are essential for a stable and sustainable water supply, water management and a circular water economy, but also for achieving a net-zero Union and for adapting to flood events.
 
FIEC's Call for a European Blue Deal can be found here.