The European Parliament, meeting in plenary in Strasbourg, approved in first reading the reform of the EU directive on the energy performance of buildings with 343 votes in favour, 216 against and 78 abstentions: now the negotiations with the Council will start which will lead to the final text. On several points the positions of the two institutions are different. It will be a delicate and not without difficulties path, by now the electoral campaign for the 2024 European elections has begun and the green transition is becoming a battleground in Parliament but also between member states and within the same countries, with the risk of losing sight of the need not to back down in the fight against climate change.
The wave of renovations
The objective of the Directive on green houses, proposed by the EU Commission, is to lead to “a wave of renovations” to improve the energy performance of buildings which, together, are responsible for around 40% of total EU energy consumption and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions associated with this consumption. THEThe text was passed with the votes of the Socialists, the Greens, the Left and part of the Popolari (51 voted in favor and 58 against including group leader Manfred Weber) and the liberals of Renew Europe, who split.
Italian votes
As regards the Italian delegations, Brothers of Italy, Lega and Forza Italia (Lucia Vuolo abstained) voted against while Pd, M5S and Verdi in favor. Nicola Danti and Giosi Ferrandino of Italia Viva-Renew Europe abstained. Sandro Gozi of Renew voted yes. The reaction of the government majority lasts. For Nicola Procaccini, head of delegation of FdI-Ecr, “the energy efficiency of buildings is a shared objective but it cannot be pursued on the skin of citizens”. For the leader of the League Matteo Salvini it will be “an economic blow in a moment of great difficulty for many”. For Forza Italia “the times of the directive are not good”. Patrizia Toia of the Democratic Party, who presented an amendment that introduces monitoring by the Commission on the effectiveness of existing financial measures and on additional tools to facilitate the transition, highlighted that “on the efficiency of buildings it is better to obtain funding and exemptions such as what the Pd did was flaunt its opposition and then submit to European regulations”.
E-Class by 2023
According to the text approved by the EU Parliament, which is not definitive, residential buildings should achieve at least energy performance class E by 2030 and D by 2033 while non-residential and public buildings the same classes by 2027 and 2030 (the Commission proposed F and E). New buildings will have to be carbon neutral from 2028, for public buildings the deadline is 2026. All new buildings, for which it will be technically and economically possible, will have to be equipped with solar panels by 2028. For residential buildings undergoing major renovations the target date is 2032. To take into account the different conditions of the building stocks of the countries, the letter G should correspond to the 15% of the worst performing buildings in the national park. The States will establish in the restructuring plans the necessary measures to achieve the objectives. There are exceptions for monuments and countries can decide to exclude some historic buildings, churches and places of worship, schools.