News 2025

On 15 September, FIEC President, Piero Petrucco, met EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, to discuss housing issues. At this occasion, Petrucco described the specific nature of our mostly local and labour-intensive industry and highlighted three messages. Whereas the construction industry is a key player, at the heart of the EU Green Deal and the housing challenge, the shortage of skilled workers is severe and widespread.

Therefore, we need to improve the image and visibility of the sector, upskill and reskill the workforce, facilitate intra-EU mobility, namely through a better recognition of professional qualifications and attract Third-Country Nationals. Financing the missing housing units – i.e., more than 1 million annually in the EU – requires the mobilisation of both public and private investment. Petrucco pointed out a few best practices collected in the various Member States, with a focus on the Italian National Housing Plan, backed by the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and which allowed the investment of about 4 billion euros to produce 18.000 social housing units, with both private and public participation. Another key priority is the digitalisation of building permit procedures. “Delay is cost!” stressed Petrucco. And currently, most of the times, these procedures are lengthy and cumbersome.

Against this backdrop, a fully digitalised submission and tracking procedure, via a one-stop-shop would altogether help streamline procedures, ensure that relevant regulations match with each other’s, improve productivity, reduce errors, delays and costs.
In the end, Petrucco insisted that, under the European Affordable Housing Plan, the concept of “vulnerable people” should be understood in a broad way, also covering the middle-class workers (e.g. teachers, nurses, firemen, policemen…).

Commissioner Jørgensen welcomed the input received and invited FIEC to further collaborate in the preparation of the Plan, which is expected to be published towards the end of 2025 or early 2026.