European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC)

The European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) welcomes the initiative of a Circular Economy Act aimed at supporting the creation of a functioning and effective EU single market for waste and secondary materials. Circularity is a key driver of the sustainable transition and decarbonisation in construction, and it must be both strengthened and accelerated.

CONSULTATION RESPONSE Revision of the EU Public Procurement Directives Consolidated Open-Text Replies (Complementary Note) Brussels, 26/01/2026 Key messages This document is provided as a complement to FIEC’s reply to the European Commission’s online questionnaire. It compiles FIEC’s responses submitted in open (free-text) fields, with the corresponding question and page reference.

Opening of the attached position paper · the full paper is on the Commission’s record (source link above)

The European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) welcomes the general objective of the planned Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act to increase sustainable and resilient industrial production in energy-intensive industrial sectors in the EU by supporting decarbonisation investments.

The Public Procurement Directives govern public works contracts and have grown complex. Several shortcomings have been identified in the current framework such as declining competition and over-reliance on lowest-price criteria. FIEC supports simplifying rules, reducing administrative burdens, and fostering a growth-friendly environment to enhance European competitiveness.

The European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) welcomes the call for feedback on the EU Taxonomy Climate and Environmental Delegated Acts. The EU Taxonomy is a key instrument to channel investments towards sustainable economic activities and to support the transition to a climate-neutral economy. The construction sector plays a central role in this transition.

The Covid-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions to global supply chains, with several contractors experiencing delays in the delivery of products. The ongoing war in Ukraine has further strained the supply of certain construction materials in Europe and price increases for construction materials are being observed across all EU Member States.

FIEC is the European Construction Industry Federation, which through its 32 national member associations in 27 countries (24 EU countries, Norway, Switzerland and Ukraine) represents construction companies of all sizes, i.e. small and medium-sized enterprises and "global players", carrying out all forms of building and civil engineering activities. Ref.

Opening of the attached position paper · the full paper is on the Commission’s record (source link above)

STARTING POINTS As yet, there is no evidence of success in terms of the 20-20-20 targets under the existing EPBD. FIEC understands the need to revise the EPBD to ensure alignment with the Climate Law. However, there is evidence, in the report "Lessons on the proportionality of the implementation of the EPBD directive 2010", undertaken by the Economic institute for construction and housing, of an increased burden for…

The European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) welcomes the European Commissions efforts to simplify the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) and acknowledges the substantial work undertaken by EFRAG and the Platform on Sustainable Finance to reduce reporting burdens and unnecessary compliance costs for companies.

These are the comments from FIEC, European Construction Industry Federation, on the Road Map on the Sustainable Products Policy Legislative Initiative. First and foremost, this initiative must not duplicate or be incompatible with the Construction Products Regulation in particular, but also with other relevant existing legislation.

FIEC wishes to thank the European Commission for the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposal for a revised Construction Products Regulation. FIEC will analyse the proposal in more detail in the coming weeks. For now, it would like to draw the Commission’s attention to the points listed below. Detailed comments can be found in the attached file. 1.

FIEC welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Inception Impact Assessment and the possible future options outlined for the CPR. The federation will submit a full response to the consultation on the future options and with this short feedback comments only on some issues raised in the Inception Impact Assessment. Problem the initiative aims to tackle: FIEC broadly agrees with the problems outlined in the document.

The European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) welcomes the call for feedback on the EU Taxonomy Climate and Environmental Delegated Acts. The EU Taxonomy is a key instrument to channel investments towards sustainable economic activities and to support the transition to a climate-neutral economy. The construction sector plays a central role in this transition.

FIEC, the European Construction Industry Federation, welcomes the Skills Portability Initiative which will be presented in the framework of the Fair Labour Mobility Package in the second half of 2026. Please, find attached FIEC's answer to the call for evidence.

The European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) acknowledges that European standardisation legislation is playing a crucial role in the functioning of the internal market. The Standardisation Regulation establishes the framework for how European standards are developed and how public and private stakeholders collaborate.

This contribution looks at how EU rules and their national implementation can make housing projects slower, more expensive or harder to deliver. It brings together practical examples from the construction sector and shows where problems arise, from permitting and environmental procedures to product rules, procurement, finance and taxation. FIEC does not argue for weaker environmental or safety standards.

This contribution sets out FIECs proposals for the Housing Simplification Package, based on input from its member federations. It examines how EU rules and their implementation can delay housing projects and increase costs. FIEC calls for simpler permitting procedures, with less duplication between environmental assessments and better coordination among the authorities involved.

The European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) welcomes the initiative for a European framework on climate resilience and risk management. We specifically support the goal to ensure resilience by design, recognising the importance of establishing clear criteria, shared climate scenarios, and harmonised risk assessment methodologies, embedded within a planning, implementation, and monitoring cycle that is truly…

Machinery Directive – revision FIEC comments on the proposed revision FIEC, the European Construction Industry Federation, welcomes the revision of the Machinery Directive, which takes into account recent technological developments. These new aspects such as hazardous substances and cybersecurity are particularly welcome.

FIEC very much shares the assessment that was made with regard to the problems which have to be resolved. We very much welcome that the focus lies on the contribution of high-quality infrastructure to the mitigation of climate change as its role is often neglected with the emphasis being put on the vehicles that are using the infrastructure.

The construction sector is at the heart of Europes green and digital transitions, yet it faces challenges such as labour and skills shortages, ageing demographics and lack of attractiveness. EBC stresses the need for a realistic, flexible, and sector-sensitive approach for the Quality Jobs Roadmap.

FIEC considers that screening measures before demolishing or renovating buildings built before the (national) asbestos ban, together with a registration system, are effective ways to allow companies to take the right steps and reduce the risk of workers exposure to asbestos. For that purpose, clients (i.e.

In May 2025, the European Commission announced in the Single Market Strategy that a Construction Services Act to lower barriers to cross-border market access for construction and installation services would be presented. DG Grow, leading the work on this file, published in November 2025 a Call for evidence for an impact assessment, outlining the political context and the different policy options.

Over the past decade, the European construction sector has faced increasing competition from third-country bidders, in particular State-Owned Enterprises from China, which have secured major public infrastructure contracts in the European Union by submitting what seem to be abnormally low bids that no private company would be able to put forward.

FIEC and EIC commends the unprecedented support of approx. 76 billion Euro provided by the EU, MS and European financial institutions for Ukraine since the beginning of Russias war of aggression. We are supportive of the proposed financing instrument, and we welcome Art. 3(2) to help Ukraine to rebuild and modernise infrastructure damaged by the war and to repair, rebuild and improve social infrastructure.