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WorldGBC reacts to ITRE parliamentary vote on EPBD

Today’s vote by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) represents a step in the right direction for the future of Europe’s building stock.

With this vote, EPBD rapporteur Ciaran Cuffe, and his colleagues in the ITRE committee, have  safeguarded key measures to support the decarbonisation of Europe’s building stock.

Speaking after the vote, Audrey Nugent, Director of Global Advocacy at WorldGBC said: While we are concerned that provisions on Minimum Energy Performance Standards have been weakened, the inclusion of provisions around Whole Life Carbon reporting and limit setting is long overdue and represents a major milestone that our network of Green Building Councils (GBCs) have long called for.”

It is now incumbent on parliamentary colleagues to support an ambitious approach in the upcoming plenary vote in March. Indeed earlier this week, the European building sector indicated how supportive industry is by co-signing WorldGBC’s open letter alongside a coalition representing over 6,000 organisations which called on all MEPs to support provisions in the EPBD that:

  1. Address energy use and efficiency via the introduction of Minimum Energy Performance Standards and harmonisation of Energy Performance Certificates.

  2. Address total lifecycle emissions of buildings, including operational and embodied emissions by supporting provisions regarding reporting, targets, and thresholds for Whole Life Carbon.

By endorsing these measures, MEPs will not only facilitate the delivery of EU climate targets but also increase the autonomy of EU Member States, address energy poverty and create large numbers of decent, green jobs. This is ever more important as geopolitical uncertainties undermine energy security and drive a cost-of-living crisis.