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On 4 December, the European Alliance to Save Energy (EU-ASE) organised the third edition of Energy Efficiency Day at the European Parliament. The Members of the European Parliament who attended the event all stressed the need to keep energy efficiency as a central pillar of this new mandate.

Seán Kelly (EPP), who worked as a rapporteur on the new EPBD, underlined that the next five years will define the next fifty years. He also reminded the audience that “buildings are at the heart of the EU transition” and that boosting the EU renovation rate contributes to saving energy which can then be redirected to other sectors but also the creation of local jobs. The renovation effort therefore contributes to a sustainable and competitive future for the EU. The MEP Jutta Paulus (Greens) dedicated a part of her intervention to the actions needed to fight energy poverty.

On the same day, the Sustainable Construction Talks were organised in the presence of Benoit Bazin, CEO of Saint-Gobain. This was the first time the talks were held in Brussels. Similar to the Energy Efficiency Day, the discussions focused on how to ensure that the sustainable agenda of the construction sector remains high on the political agenda. Mr Bazin stressed that now is the time to implement and deliver on the policies recently agreed such as the EPBD. Innovation in the construction sector is about scale and speed, he says, as efficient products are already available on the market. The introduction was followed by two discussion panels on the policy levers to ensure the affordability and sustainability of housing and the financial instruments needed to increase the transformation of the building stock.