News 2025

On 4 December, representatives of the EU construction sector, political decision makers and financial institutions gathered in Brussels for the FIEC conference entitled “The Housing Equation: affordable + sustainable”. Europe’s housing crisis can only be solved through coordinated, long-term policies that bring affordability and sustainability together rather than treating them as competing priorities.

The conference opened with a keynote speech by Dirk Gotink, Member of the European Parliament (NL-EPP). He called for a simplification agenda at a moment when households, contractors and public authorities are all struggling with rising costs and growing regulatory demands. “Europe must build again and it must build faster. Our task is to deliver clearer rules and simpler procedures, so that regulation enables construction instead of slowing it down”, he said.

Representing the construction industry, Joël Schons, Chair of FIEC “Housing” Working Group, reaffirmed FIEC’s commitment to sustainability objectives and high-quality standards, while cautioning against policies that could make the transition economically inaccessible. He stressed that “(...) construction companies stand ready to build the sustainable housing Europe needs. But to succeed, we must ensure that permitting procedures are accelerated and fully digitalised, regulations are housing-friendly and that financing is accessible.” 

More information in the FIEC Press Release below (link).

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  2025-12-08_FIEC_Press_Release_-_Winter_Conference_on_Affordable_and_Sustainable_Housing.pdf

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