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Ministers of Housing of the EU agree to promote the rehabilitation of housing to create jobs
Housing Ministers of the European Union have agreed to give a political impetus to the renewal and rehabilitation of existing housing stock to achieve economic recovery, employment generation and move towards a new model of growth.
Thus, it can, furthermore, improve energy efficiency and social and territorial cohesion of Member States. The agreement has taken place in the XVIII Informal Meeting of Ministers of Housing of the EU, held in Toledo under the Spanish Presidency, which has seen a representation of the FEMP and the Committee of the Regions of the EU.
The meeting ended with the adoption of a final statement in which the European Commission proposes that housing contributes to energy efficiency and built the rehabilitation of the park should become a central challenge to the extent that the EU intends to attain objectives of economic recovery, climate change and social cohesion. In fact, rehabilitation within the ambit of the 2020 Strategy, which promotes a new economy, sustainable and environmentally friendly.
The Minister of Housing, Government of Spain, Beatriz Corredor, has stated that "Europe is in a time of special significance for the future of the Union, and therefore it is necessary to advance the economic recovery and promote a change of growth model based on energy sustainability, environmental and social, that has as protagonists equality, innovation and knowledge. "
"The Ministry of Housing we want to value the great potential of rehabilitation to help it," he noted. So, has asserted that in addition to demanding a high employment ratio, much higher than the new building or civil works that generates activity in ancillary industries and manufacturers of building materials, and enhances the productivity and competitiveness. In addition to this, added that "contributes to the sustainability of the system by reducing energy consumption and use of alternative energy sources, improving the quality of life of citizens and dynamic innovation, which requires the development of new construction materials and building techniques. "
In that sense, the rehabilitation of residential Park has been the focus of today's working sessions with the policies of access to housing in European countries and the relationship between legislation and programs
Report on rehabilitation in the EU
The minister has presented at the plenary session a report on the status of rehabilitation of houses in Europe that the Ministry has prepared the following information and analysis made by each Member State and for candidates on general aspects of rehabilitation such as generating employment, financing and public-private partnerships and the role of architecture
This document shows that there is broad consensus on the issues that are included in the concept of rehabilitation of homes, buildings and urban areas. In this respect, between 60% and almost 90% of countries include similar content in their regulations on rehabilitation. Is especially noteworthy that 90% of countries introduced specific legislation on energy efficiency, 80% include accessibility needs and 50% reflects the integrated approach to urban regeneration.
The report cautions, however, the need to standardize the statistical criteria in measuring the activity of rehabilitation. We also confirm that:
.- Most countries understand that rehabilitation creates jobs, why we have included in their incentive plans to meet the crisis. Thus, nine countries report that was created half a million jobs in 2008 and 2009 through rehabilitation. A study by the Housing Ministry in Spain generated 56 jobs for every million euros invested in this activity.
.- With regard to training, most of the countries stated that the professional manpower and specialized covers available existing needs in the field of rehabilitation. In 25 countries the education system provides specific training.
.- The responsibility for rehabilitation are shared by more than one level of administration, especially between central and local levels. This occurs in 27 countries.
Most regulations compatible in aid for housing rehabilitation and development, succeeding in 21 countries that the cost of the intervention can be transferred to tenants.
Most countries are also offering subsidies for adapting the homes and buildings to elderly or disabled.
.- For types of aid, even when they have identified six types of public assistance among countries, the most widely used method is to outright grants, but also offers tax benefits greatly and loans on favorable terms. Similarly, most of the EU12 countries have made use of ERDF funds to finance the rehabilitation, but for the moment, there is no consensus among Member States about the use of the future.
.- Finally, the countries understand that quality architecture is beneficial to society due to cultural enrichment and improved mobility, environment and welfare of the population. In fact, most countries promote it, have organizations and agencies involved in architecture, and set specific standards to be applied to technical and functional aspects.
Greater energy efficiency
The ministers emphasized that housing policy is necessarily concerned by energy policy. The residential building sector, they say, accounts for 40% of total energy consumption in the EU, so the energy rehabilitation offers broad potential for promoting energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gases and curb the so-called fuel poverty "on the data that flow like the European Quality of Life Survey, which claims that in 2007 10% of Europe's population could not afford to maintain an adequate level of heating in your home.
Thus, according held Beatriz Corredor, "improve the efficiency of a home through energy rehabilitation is not only a cost but an investment and savings in the medium term. Betting on better insulation of facades or walls can save up to 40% on energy bills each home. "
Along these lines, taking into account that the EU target is to achieve by 2020 buildings "zero pollution" and virtually no power consumption, "Spain will continue to lead the promotion of policies to promote renewable energies and energy efficiency of buildings, "said Hall, who has announced that this, the ministry will adopt in 2011 a new regulatory framework that" will substantially increase the current requirements on energy efficiency of buildings which are now regulated in the Technical Building Code "and that among other things, will not allow a classification has buildings with energy lower than the C (currently CTE letter A for maximum efficiency and for the minimum E).
Conclusions of the final communiqué
In the final statement adopted today, the States take into account the gradual impoverishment of the European population, with special emphasis on regulations governing accessibility and empowerment of people with disabilities. So, have noted that national and local authorities must educate citizens to participate actively in the improvement of the habitability of housing and public spaces and have agreed to move the European Commission the need to address the process aging in the new legislation.
The ministers will also ask the momentum of the EU Platform Against Poverty, as one of the five main objectives of the European Strategy 2020 and to be financed measures to combat marginalization and social exclusion through Funds Structural.
Similarly, have agreed to ask the European Investment Bank (EIB) to promote the rehabilitation and improvement of energy efficiency of housing stock in the EU Member States, with new ways to improve funding to key players in this field.
Chairperson of the Committee of the Regions: The EU must do more to social and urban regeneration energy efficiency
The future EU regional funding should pay more attention to disparities infra, in particular, social regeneration and energy efficiency. That is the message conveyed Mercedes Bresso, President of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), who presented at an informal meeting a recent opinion of the Committee of the Regions, which was requested by the Spanish Presidency in view of the ministerial debate.
Mercedes Bresso, said that the future cohesion policy of the EU should pay more attention to economic disparities within regions and not just between them: "The urban areas are engines of economic growth, but also can mask serious problems of social inequality and income. Therefore, interventions should focus on pockets of poverty which can be found in urban areas considerably prosperous.
The CoR President emphasized that this was a direct consequence of the new European regulations, embodied in the Treaty of Lisbon, which has given the 'territorial cohesion' official target range: the new territorial cohesion objective should be concerned all levels of governance. More specifically, urban policies are test beds of multilevel governance. "
Bresso also highlighted the positive impact of cohesion policy can have on urban development: "Cohesion policy is definitely to play a key role. In the future, the urban dimension should be a more important element of regional strategic planning, but without contributing to the fragmentation of the cohesion policy. will need urban policies more strongly promote energy efficiency, social cohesion and quality of urban development and innovation projects. "
The opinion in its final version will be available shortly in all official EU languages on the website of the CDR.
The meeting ended with the adoption of a final statement in which the European Commission proposes that housing contributes to energy efficiency and built the rehabilitation of the park should become a central challenge to the extent that the EU intends to attain objectives of economic recovery, climate change and social cohesion. In fact, rehabilitation within the ambit of the 2020 Strategy, which promotes a new economy, sustainable and environmentally friendly.
The Minister of Housing, Government of Spain, Beatriz Corredor, has stated that "Europe is in a time of special significance for the future of the Union, and therefore it is necessary to advance the economic recovery and promote a change of growth model based on energy sustainability, environmental and social, that has as protagonists equality, innovation and knowledge. "
"The Ministry of Housing we want to value the great potential of rehabilitation to help it," he noted. So, has asserted that in addition to demanding a high employment ratio, much higher than the new building or civil works that generates activity in ancillary industries and manufacturers of building materials, and enhances the productivity and competitiveness. In addition to this, added that "contributes to the sustainability of the system by reducing energy consumption and use of alternative energy sources, improving the quality of life of citizens and dynamic innovation, which requires the development of new construction materials and building techniques. "
In that sense, the rehabilitation of residential Park has been the focus of today's working sessions with the policies of access to housing in European countries and the relationship between legislation and programs
Report on rehabilitation in the EU
The minister has presented at the plenary session a report on the status of rehabilitation of houses in Europe that the Ministry has prepared the following information and analysis made by each Member State and for candidates on general aspects of rehabilitation such as generating employment, financing and public-private partnerships and the role of architecture
This document shows that there is broad consensus on the issues that are included in the concept of rehabilitation of homes, buildings and urban areas. In this respect, between 60% and almost 90% of countries include similar content in their regulations on rehabilitation. Is especially noteworthy that 90% of countries introduced specific legislation on energy efficiency, 80% include accessibility needs and 50% reflects the integrated approach to urban regeneration.
The report cautions, however, the need to standardize the statistical criteria in measuring the activity of rehabilitation. We also confirm that:
.- Most countries understand that rehabilitation creates jobs, why we have included in their incentive plans to meet the crisis. Thus, nine countries report that was created half a million jobs in 2008 and 2009 through rehabilitation. A study by the Housing Ministry in Spain generated 56 jobs for every million euros invested in this activity.
.- With regard to training, most of the countries stated that the professional manpower and specialized covers available existing needs in the field of rehabilitation. In 25 countries the education system provides specific training.
.- The responsibility for rehabilitation are shared by more than one level of administration, especially between central and local levels. This occurs in 27 countries.
Most regulations compatible in aid for housing rehabilitation and development, succeeding in 21 countries that the cost of the intervention can be transferred to tenants.
Most countries are also offering subsidies for adapting the homes and buildings to elderly or disabled.
.- For types of aid, even when they have identified six types of public assistance among countries, the most widely used method is to outright grants, but also offers tax benefits greatly and loans on favorable terms. Similarly, most of the EU12 countries have made use of ERDF funds to finance the rehabilitation, but for the moment, there is no consensus among Member States about the use of the future.
.- Finally, the countries understand that quality architecture is beneficial to society due to cultural enrichment and improved mobility, environment and welfare of the population. In fact, most countries promote it, have organizations and agencies involved in architecture, and set specific standards to be applied to technical and functional aspects.
Greater energy efficiency
The ministers emphasized that housing policy is necessarily concerned by energy policy. The residential building sector, they say, accounts for 40% of total energy consumption in the EU, so the energy rehabilitation offers broad potential for promoting energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gases and curb the so-called fuel poverty "on the data that flow like the European Quality of Life Survey, which claims that in 2007 10% of Europe's population could not afford to maintain an adequate level of heating in your home.
Thus, according held Beatriz Corredor, "improve the efficiency of a home through energy rehabilitation is not only a cost but an investment and savings in the medium term. Betting on better insulation of facades or walls can save up to 40% on energy bills each home. "
Along these lines, taking into account that the EU target is to achieve by 2020 buildings "zero pollution" and virtually no power consumption, "Spain will continue to lead the promotion of policies to promote renewable energies and energy efficiency of buildings, "said Hall, who has announced that this, the ministry will adopt in 2011 a new regulatory framework that" will substantially increase the current requirements on energy efficiency of buildings which are now regulated in the Technical Building Code "and that among other things, will not allow a classification has buildings with energy lower than the C (currently CTE letter A for maximum efficiency and for the minimum E).
Conclusions of the final communiqué
In the final statement adopted today, the States take into account the gradual impoverishment of the European population, with special emphasis on regulations governing accessibility and empowerment of people with disabilities. So, have noted that national and local authorities must educate citizens to participate actively in the improvement of the habitability of housing and public spaces and have agreed to move the European Commission the need to address the process aging in the new legislation.
The ministers will also ask the momentum of the EU Platform Against Poverty, as one of the five main objectives of the European Strategy 2020 and to be financed measures to combat marginalization and social exclusion through Funds Structural.
Similarly, have agreed to ask the European Investment Bank (EIB) to promote the rehabilitation and improvement of energy efficiency of housing stock in the EU Member States, with new ways to improve funding to key players in this field.
Chairperson of the Committee of the Regions: The EU must do more to social and urban regeneration energy efficiency
The future EU regional funding should pay more attention to disparities infra, in particular, social regeneration and energy efficiency. That is the message conveyed Mercedes Bresso, President of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), who presented at an informal meeting a recent opinion of the Committee of the Regions, which was requested by the Spanish Presidency in view of the ministerial debate.
Mercedes Bresso, said that the future cohesion policy of the EU should pay more attention to economic disparities within regions and not just between them: "The urban areas are engines of economic growth, but also can mask serious problems of social inequality and income. Therefore, interventions should focus on pockets of poverty which can be found in urban areas considerably prosperous.
The CoR President emphasized that this was a direct consequence of the new European regulations, embodied in the Treaty of Lisbon, which has given the 'territorial cohesion' official target range: the new territorial cohesion objective should be concerned all levels of governance. More specifically, urban policies are test beds of multilevel governance. "
Bresso also highlighted the positive impact of cohesion policy can have on urban development: "Cohesion policy is definitely to play a key role. In the future, the urban dimension should be a more important element of regional strategic planning, but without contributing to the fragmentation of the cohesion policy. will need urban policies more strongly promote energy efficiency, social cohesion and quality of urban development and innovation projects. "
The opinion in its final version will be available shortly in all official EU languages on the website of the CDR.
