On 15 March 2023, the Transition Pathway for Construction was published. It was drafted according to the EU’s Industrial Forum's blueprint and took into account input provided via the High-Level Construction Forum (HLCF), coordinated by the European Commission (DG GROW), in which FIEC actively participates.
Why FIEC is dealing with this topic:
The updated EU Industrial Strategy emphasized the need for a swift green and digital transition of the EU industry and its various ecosystems. In order to achieve this, each industrial ecosystem must transform its business models and value chains. But such transitions require concrete actions and milestones (Transition Pathways) tailored to the specificities of each ecosystem.
Construction is the second largest industrial ecosystem in the European Union in economic terms and plays a key role in the implementation of the green and digital transitions.
The construction ecosystem is called to deliver building renovations faster than ever before and install renewable energy generation and management systems. In addition, it must keep on providing monitoring and maintenance services, repair to critical infrastructure and efforts to make buildings safer and more accessible. It also needs to reduce, re-use and recycle waste, increase the use of secondary raw materials and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
All this requires setting new actions and commitments, as well as aligning efforts and identifying and closing critical gaps. Coherence and enforcement of the legislative and policy framework are also essential aspects. Furthermore, although the environmental targets to be reached are known, few indicators exist on how the construction ecosystem should evolve to deliver on these objectives.
Finally, it is of crucial importance that policy-makers, both at the EU and at national level, do adequately take into account the specificities of the construction ecosystem, which differs significantly from the other industries and which is composed by over 90% of small and medium-sized companies.
The Transition Pathway describes the conditions and the necessary actions to be put in place, in order to achieve a resilient, competitive, greener, and more digital construction ecosystem. In addition, it proposes actions that support the transition towards safer buildings and affordable housing for all Europeans.
The document identifies 6 main blocks, namely :
1. Competitiveness
2. Skills and talent
3. Enabling framework
4. Research, Innovation, Technology
5. Funding
6. Towards a fair and safe built environment
The Transition Pathway constitutes a starting point. It is now up to the Member States, the industry and the other concerned stakeholders to identify and implement their respective commitments in order to align with the pathway.
FIEC and its member federations are committed to play their role.