Op-ed: Making the Renovation Wave a Success

By Adrian Joyce, Secretary General of EuroACE.

The European Green Deal contains a proposal to launch a Renovation Wave across the EU, which is strongly supported by EuroACE. We interpret its inclusion as a sure sign that the role of buildings in contributing to a climate neutral economy has been recognised at the highest political level. The challenge now will be to ensure that it is a success.

Member States have a special responsibility, under the revised Buildings Directive, to prepare long-term renovation strategies (LTRS). The Commission has announced that its Strategic Communication on the Renovation Wave will be based on an analysis of the submitted LTRS, giving it the opportunity to fill any gaps with legislative and non-legislative elements.

The partners of the Renovate Europe Campaign, run by EuroACE, published a short paper containing 10 Principles on which the Commission should base its Strategic Communication, advising, among other things, to put energy efficiency first, scale up good practices, and consider specific building typologies and ownership models.