The Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union sent, on Monday 10 October, a document to the Member States with the aim of finding compromise solutions for the revision of the EU directive (2018/844) on the energy performance of buildings (‘EPBD’).
While the Presidency hopes to reach a political agreement (general approach) on this dossier on 25 October at the next formal meeting of EU Energy Ministers, it is forced to acknowledge that the article on minimum energy performance standards “requires further political debate”. This article sets minimum energy performance standards for buildings to ensure that they do not exceed a specified maximum energy performance threshold by a certain date.
The challenge is to find the right balance between the approach for residential and non-residential buildings, keeping in mind the goal of achieving a zero-emissions building stock by 2050, the presidency document says.
With a view to providing Member States with more flexibility, Prague had proposed, among other things, to allow the transformation of the housing stock through trajectories with at least two fixed control points leading to 2050 (see EUROPE 13025/3).
Member States should thus ensure that the average primary energy use of the whole residential building stock is at least equivalent to the energy performance class level D by 2033 and class level B by 2040.
They would also be free to introduce more control points than those proposed, and to treat single-family homes on the basis of a separate trigger point basis.
However, in view of the continuing divisions between delegations (see EUROPE 13039/1), the Presidency considers it necessary to ask the Member States’ ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) for “political guidance on a viable way forward”.
It therefore asks the national delegations how much flexibility they would be prepared to accept regarding the maximum energy performance thresholds for non-residential buildings, combined with a targeted strengthening of the trajectories for residential buildings.
On the basis of Member States’ contributions, Prague will prepare a new draft compromise (the fifth) which will be presented to the ambassadors on 19 October as a proposal for a general approach.
See the document: https://aeur.eu/f/3jt (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)