Executive Vice-President Séjourné hosts implementation dialogue on EU construction sector

Today, Executive Vice-President Stephane Séjourné hosted key stakeholders from across the construction value chain to discuss barriers and challenges affecting the sector's competitiveness and productivity, as well as possible solutions to address them.

Participants identified barriers to a more integrated EU Internal Market for construction services and the impact of permitting rules on competitiveness as key factors hampering the ecosystem. They discussed possible solutions such as simplifying building permit procedures, sharing good practices on digitalisation and adopting measures to support the development of new markets and greater circularity.

The issues discussed will be reflected in the upcoming European Strategy for Housing Construction, which will aim at enhancing the sector's competitiveness, productivity and innovation across Europe, while ensuring higher levels of safety and sustainability.

The 15 participants represented, among others, contractors, construction product manufacturers, offsite construction manufacturers, developers, companies in the construction services sector, property owners, construction small and medium enterprises, and trade unions.

Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, Stéphane Séjourné, said: “Construction is the third largest industrial ecosystem in Europe. It consists of 6.6 million companies - more than 99% of which are SMEs - and employs over 27 million people. Because of its wide impact, the sector is essential to Europe's prosperity, making a competitive and productive European construction ecosystem indispensable. Today's dialogue helped identify both challenges and solutions to support the sector's development.”

Implementation Dialogues are part of the Commission's commitment to seek feedback from stakeholders for the implementation and simplification of EU policies. As outlined in the Commission's Communication on Implementation and Simplification for the 2024-2029 mandate, all Members of the College of Commissioners must host such Dialogues annually.

More information on this dialogue will be available online.