the commitment of the construction sector to a low carbon emissions environment in Europe

On 27th June, an event under the title of “The Construction Industry journey to enable the EU energy, climate and sustainability objectives: committed to a European Low-Carbon Built Environment” was held in the European Parliament, where the importance of the construction sector for the development of the European Union became apparent (around 9% of the EU GDP, with 18 million jobs, it is the industrial sector that creates most employment and facilitates social cohesion through the training of medium-skilled workers…). The significant impact of the sector on the quality of life of citizens was also shown, through the buildings where they live or develop their professional or leisure activities and the transport and services infrastructures that facilitate their mobility and access to basic items, such as water or energy.

The major R&D achievements of the construction sector in recent years were also highlighted. For example, within the framework of the Energy Efficiency in Buildings Public-Private Partnership, around 150 R&D projects have been developed, which have generated more than 150 patents, trained over 55,000 people and developed around 450 pilot schemes with innovative solutions.

This event, coordinated by TECNALIA was organised by the European Construction Technology Platform (ECTP) and backed by the MEPs, Ramón Jáuregui and Eider Gardeazabal, and also included the participation of leading representatives of the main associations from the construction sector in Europe and directors from several Directorates General within the European Commission related to the issue in the field of European R&D.

The objective of this event was to position the construction sector for the forthcoming HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, the main community initiative to foster and support R&D in the European Union from 2021 to 2027.