Glass for Europe contributes to the consultation on the Housing Simplification package

This initiative aims to increase the supply of housing by addressing the delays and costs that affect its availability and affordability.

It its contribution to the public consultation, Glass for Europe emphasised that the supply and affordability of housing cannot be dissociated from the long-term cost, resilience and quality of the building stock. Any simplification agenda regarding housing must be well calibrated and targeted at procedures that hinder the construction, renovation or repurposing of sustainable housing.

The contribution is organised around four main pillars:

• Energy efficiency as a driver of affordability: The effective implementation of the legislations such as the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) contribute directly to housing affordability.
• Renovation as a means of increasing supply: If new build is part of the solution, it cannot close the housing need gap in the short to medium term. Renovation must therefore be treated as an equally important and more immediately deployable lever.
• Simplified funding schemes to support renovation and refurbishment: Simplification and streamlining of funding mechanisms, at national and European level, could be considered as long as they keep on supporting highly efficient buildings.
• Simplified procedures for conversion and repurposing: Simplified administrative procedures for change-of-use conversions could make it easier to bring underused or non-residential buildings into the affordable housing stock.

You can read Glass for Europe’s full contribution here. The European Commission’s proposal is expected before March 2027.