New buildings in the EU should be emission-free by 2028, agreed the MEPs

Strasbourg – MEPs today adopted a proposal for new measures aimed at supporting the renovation of buildings in the European Union. All new buildings should be emissions-free by 2028 according to the proposal, and some existing buildings would have to undergo renovation. The final wording of the legislation is not yet in place, and the European Parliament will negotiate this with member states.

The proposed revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive aims to reduce emissions, create new jobs, limit energy dependence on Russian fossil fuels, and lower energy bills. However, critics reject the proposal as unacceptable for small businesses and families. According to a European Commission report, buildings are responsible for 40 percent of energy consumption and 36 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the union block.

If the member states represented in the EU Council agree with the Parliament on the current wording, all new buildings will have to have zero emissions and be equipped with solar technologies from 2028 onwards, if technically feasible and economically viable. The proposal already includes exceptions, such as for historic buildings.

Residential buildings should reach at least energy performance class E by 2030, and class D by 2033, on a scale from A to G. The letter G indicates the 15 percent of most energy-intensive buildings in a given member state. This part of the measures also allows for certain exceptions and extended deadlines.

However, critics argue that the proposal does not sufficiently consider smaller businesses and families. The measure has also been deemed unrealistic by Czech MEP Dita Charanzová. "(The measure) lacks financial solutions to support the installation of solar panels and also lacks alternative sources in case fossil fuel heating is discontinued. We need to determine what is truly realistic so that we do not financially burden citizens with our decisions," Charanzová stated in a statement.

According to Czech MEP Alexander Vondra from the conservative group, the measure is a "communist" solution. "I would prefer a capitalist solution to this problem where individuals have the option to choose. These are again some orders and bans," Vondra said.

Czech MEP Ondřej Kovařík was milder in his criticism, welcoming the directive as it would streamline the operations of larger companies' administrative buildings, which he believes would lead to decreased emissions. "However, it is unacceptable that we apply the same strict rules to family housing. This could lead to a sudden increase in rents and housing prices, which we cannot afford in the current situation," Kovařík said.

On the other hand, Czech MEP Mikuláš Peksa from the Greens group supported the measures, believing they would represent a logical investment for property owners. "It will be an investment in the sense that if we insulate a very inefficient house, the costs incurred will be recovered in energy savings in about ten years... If the owner of the building does not have the resources to finance it themselves, the European Investment Bank is here to provide loans to commercial banks in individual states for these activities, and then people can targetedly borrow from them. Ideally, for a person investing in their home in this way, the loan will be paid off, and they will even earn a little extra," Peksa argued.

The rapporteur for the legislation is MEP Ciarán Cuffe from the Greens group. In his opening speech for Monday's debate on the proposal, he argued that the agreement "will save us up to 50 million cubic meters of gas annually."