Brussels, 05/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - “Nearly 75% of buildings are energy inefficient, and it is here that one of the great tasks for the European construction industry lies”, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, told the European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) on Friday 5 June.
Presenting the Commission's investment plan to a group of representatives of the sector, Juncker laid particular emphasis on the fight against climate change and, within this framework, the need to update the European real estate stock. He explained that investment in energy efficiency, which could create nearly 2 million jobs, represents an opportunity for the European economy and construction sector which needs to be “grasped”. According to Eurostat, the construction sector dropped by 2.7% in the eurozone between March 2014 and 2015, and by 1.3% at EU level.
“The construction industry welcomes the Juncker plan and we certainly intend to play our part to develop positive projects. But in order for [these projects] to be a success, we need (…) a collaborative approach between our businesses, the public sector and the financial sector”, said the FIEC president, Johan Willemen.
This call by the President of the Commission refers directly to one of the key objectives in the strategy 'EUROPE 2020' in the fight against climate change, namely increasing energy efficiency by 20%. (Pascal Hansens)