EU law for efficient houses
Associations fear a weakening of the restructuring obligation
08/17/2023 9:56 p.m
Federal Building Minister Geywitz rejects a “general renovation obligation by law”. But that is exactly what the EU is planning. She wants to force renovations to make buildings more energy efficient by 2030. Associations are demanding that the German government stick to the plans.
Several environmental and social organizations have called on the federal government to continue working at EU level for mandatory refurbishment of buildings that perform poorly in terms of energy efficiency. “We need ambitious climate protection that must be affordable for everyone,” said Thomas Engelke from the Federation of German Consumer Organizations (vzbv). The EU is currently negotiating a new building directive.
The EU Commission’s proposal, which is currently being discussed in trilogue negotiations with the Council and Parliament, stipulates that the currently poorest buildings in terms of energy must be renovated by a certain date. For example, buildings from the lowest energy efficiency classes G or H are to be promoted to the higher class by 2030. The measures should be accompanied by subsidies, especially for people with lower incomes.
The federal government has so far advocated these so-called minimum efficiency standards (MEPS) in the building directive. The EU Commission’s proposal is a fundamentally important and decisive instrument for achieving the climate goals, according to the building emergency program of the Federal Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Economics.
FDP against EU building directive
However, associations such as the German Nature Conservation Ring, the Social Association VdK or the German Environmental Aid now fear that the government could “clearly soften” its position. A U-turn by the federal government from its previous support for EU-wide MEPS in connection with effective social protection measures could have a blocking effect on the protection of the climate and low-income households throughout Europe, the associations criticized.
In July, the FDP party leadership asked EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to withdraw plans for the EU Buildings Directive. And Minister of Construction Klara Geywitz also stated that she rejected a “general obligation to renovate by law”. According to the associations, a change in the German position at this point would be “alarming”.
According to them, the EU building sector is responsible for 40 percent of EU energy consumption and 36 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. “Without clear, legal guidelines for energy-efficient refurbishment, low-income households across Europe would remain vulnerable to rising housing and energy costs,” the social organizations warned.