Climate protection and energy saving: EU wants renovation obligation for some buildings

Brussels is very serious about climate protection: This is reflected in the new proposals from the EU Commission. She wants a renovation obligation for certain buildings and a reform of the gas market.

These are ambitious goals that the EU Commission presented today with a view to a significant reduction in CO2 in the next few years. If the measures are implemented exactly, then one could probably achieve 80 percent less carbon dioxide emissions in the building industry by 2030, it said in Brussels.

Frans Timmermanns, Vice President of the European Commission, who is responsible for the European “Green Deal”, left no doubt that this will hardly happen. But apparently they want to take on big things in order to at least noticeably get ahead with climate protection in Europe.

High energy prices – poor thermal insulation

This is also central in view of the currently high energy prices, said Timmermanns: “Millions of people in Europe can no longer pay their energy bills – they often live in old buildings with high energy consumption. Households with low incomes suffer particularly from the current prices Buildings with poor thermal insulation need up to ten times as much heat as a well-insulated house. “

Focus on thermal insulation

The focus of the commission’s plans is therefore an obligation to renovate buildings with insufficient thermal insulation. Because such properties alone cause a third of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU. That is why all new buildings would have to be completely climate-neutral from the next decade onwards. By then, owners of existing houses and apartments should have time to significantly reduce the energy consumption of their properties. However, buildings that store particularly little heat would have to be made more efficient by 2027.

The EU Commission estimates that around 15 percent of all houses in the European Union belong to this category – so time is of the essence. The fact is: Many EU countries have planned money from the European Corona Development Fund for investments in building renovation.

Do old buildings become worthless?

In some countries, however, there are fears that Brussels as a whole could be too ambitious and that old buildings will become worthless. There are such concerns, especially in Italy. Timmermanns tried to counter the fears – his talent for languages ​​helped him: The Commission proposal, according to the Commission deputy in Italian, does not provide that poorly insulated houses may no longer be sold or rented. Rather, it is about reducing energy consumption overall.

Reform of the gas market

These are all just proposals from the Commission. They now have to be discussed between the member states and with the European Parliament.

In view of the current high gas prices, the same applies to the Commission’s initiative to reform the European gas market. In the future, hydrogen in particular is to be promoted considerably more with EU money. A market for so-called green, because climate-neutral hydrogen is to be created, and natural gas consumption is to be reduced.

Matter of the member states

It is very doubtful that all of this will become a reality. After all, such questions are primarily a matter for the member states. Brussels has little regulatory authority here. Nevertheless, the Commission shows that it is serious about climate protection and climate neutrality. And it sends the signal: everyone has to pull together for this to work.