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Energy performance in buildings is key to meeting 2030 emissions target
(EurActiv, 5 Oct 2020) Ursula von der Leyen and Frans Timmermans have pledged to kick-start a renovation wave across Europe. This is a management challenge with three aspects that have to be met, write building industry CEOs.
This opinion was signed by eight CEOs, listed at the base of the article.*
Fine words renovate no building. But President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union speech was a political knockout. The bottom line: the European Union cannot meet 55% by 2030 emissions reduction target without at least doubling building renovation rates. That is why the green recovery needs to start at home, literally.
Per euro invested, the buildings sector is Europe’s biggest job creator. At the same time, real estate is our most valuable financial asset, worth tens of trillions of euros. Yet even as the COVID-19 crisis continues, one in four households cannot pay their energy bills. The stakes are high indeed.
That is why Ms von der Leyen and her right-hand man on the Green Deal, Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans, have pledged to kick-start a Renovation Wave across Europe. A ‘ways and means’ Commission action plan is due in October.
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EurActiv, 5 Oct 2020: Energy performance in buildings is key to meeting 2030 emissions target
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