Parliament adopts position on law to green EU houses by 2050

(EurActiv, 9 Feb 2023) The European Parliament has adopted its position on the revision of the EU buildings directive, which aims to have all EU buildings to be climate neutral by 2050 by boosting the bloc’s renovation rate.

The EU’s building sector is a major climate action challenge, responsible for more than a third of CO2 emissions today. In December 2021, the European Commission launched its push to revise the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) – a key EU law that will make renovation of badly performing buildings mandatory.

On 9 February, the European Parliament’s industrial committee (ITRE) passed its position on the law. “The Parliament deal is good for people and the planet,” said Ciaran Cuffe, an Irish member of the Greens/EFA party in the European Parliament, the parliament’s point man on negotiations. 

His draft position for the law passed with a solid majority through parliament’s industry committee (ITRE), with 49 votes in favour and 18 against, owing to support obtained from the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), who initially opposed mandatory renovation.

“Building renovations can seem daunting to many people,” explained Sean Kelly, the EPP’s negotiator on the law.

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EurActiv, 9 Feb 2023: Parliament adopts position on law to green EU houses by 2050