New data underscores the urgency of renovating European buildings, said Oliver Rapf, Executive Director of the Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE), an independent think tank, in an interview with Euractiv.

A New Directive

Negotiations for the EU Building Directive, EPBD, are nearing completion, with the next trilogue meeting between EU institutions scheduled for December 7.

It is understood that legislators are eager to conclude discussions before the new year and reach a final text, which is understandable.

The process of "reforming" policy – a standard practice of "improving" existing legislation – is about to reach the two-year threshold, and the political focus in the new year will be on the EU elections in spring and the priorities of a new European Commission.

At the same time, the EU will want to be a global leader in climate policy in the upcoming COP 28 climate change negotiations in early December.

Indeed, we can all agree that reaching a conclusion on the EPBD now is more beneficial than further postponing it, as progress in improving the environmental performance of our buildings is stagnating.

The second edition of the EU Buildings Climate Tracker (EU BCT), just published by BPIE, shows that despite the European Green Deal, the mandatory political commitments agreed upon in Paris in 2015 with 196 parties, and the new European climate targets for 2030 and 2050 approved by all 27 EU member states, the construction sector is still far from achieving climate neutrality.

Off Track

The EU building climate tracking system shows a significant gap between where the building stock should be on the path to climate neutrality and where it actually is.

Developed by BPIE, the EU BCT is an independent tool to monitor the progress of the EU building stock toward climate neutrality by 2050, covering the period from 2015 to 2020.

For the EU, the tracking tool has identified a significant overall decarbonization gap of over 10 points between where we are today and where we should be on the path to climate neutrality.

A special geographic focus on Central and Eastern Europe shows an even more worrying trend: by 2020, progress in decarbonizing the building stock will be 21 points below the necessary decarbonization path, the largest gap since the beginning of the tracking period in 2015.

The tracking tool measures progress in the form of a points-based index, composed of five indicators, including CO2 emissions, final energy consumption, the share of renewable energy, renovation investments, and internal energy expenditures.

It combines indicators relevant to climate and energy policy with indicators addressing social policy issues, such as energy accessibility.

The findings highlight the need for a significant increase in efforts to agree on and implement effective policies in the near future.

Reducing Energy-Related Emissions

While it is essential to quickly conclude EPBD negotiations, an agreement that lacks heart and adds more ambiguity to the interpretation of policies is unacceptable.

EPBD must prioritize a drastic reduction in energy consumption in existing buildings through renovation and must not allow any space for fossil fuels using unclear language or stealthy gaps in the final text.

Europe must significantly intensify efforts to renovate buildings to the highest performance standards. A strong EPBD is our best chance to ensure that we quickly escape danger and move toward climate neutrality.

Some of the new provisions expected to make it into the final EPBD text are essential for the rapid reduction of energy consumption and emissions from buildings, but the agreed-upon final language can make all the difference in their true effectiveness.

In particular, minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) should be clearly designed, first addressing buildings with the poorest performance, establishing clear benchmarks and timelines, with an ambition level in line with climate neutrality by 2050, and ensuring a strong compliance support and enforcement system to monitor and track their implementation and impact.

BPIE recently collected data highlighting citizens' strong motivation to live and work in healthy, renovated buildings. Access to healthy homes and a huge reduction in energy bills can become a reality.

We see new, innovative business models led by rapidly growing young companies that enable renovation on an unprecedented scale and transform the image of what it means to be a construction worker.

A strong EPBD is urgent, desirable, and possible

Although we know decision-makers are eager to conclude EPBD negotiations quickly, they are also responsible for ensuring citizens have healthy homes with affordable energy bills, protecting them from the impact of climate change, and enhancing Europe's energy independence.

EPBD has been highly politicized. But the benefits of a strong agreement far outweigh the risk of accepting characterless legislation, which must be avoided at all costs.

A strong EPBD will strengthen innovation, future job markets, and social fabric. And beyond that, it is crucial in the fight against climate change. We know renovating Europe is urgent. It is also desirable, and we have ample evidence that it is possible.

Let's make it happen.