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Challenges facing the construction sector

The European Commission has published a public consultation on the sustainable competitiveness of the construction sector. In particular it is inviting views on the challenges facing the sector and how these can be addressed at an EU level. What measures can be introduced to both improve the competitiveness of the sector and contribute to sustainable development objectives?

Sustainable construction is important for the long term goals of the EU and the construction sector is a vital part of the European economy. The Commission intends to adopt a Communication on the sustainable competitiveness of the construction industry and its enterprises. It will highlight market, regulatory and policy developments which affect the competitiveness of the construction sector and show how the sector is performing with regard to sustainable development objectives. It will propose initiatives aimed at meeting sustainable competiveness objectives and better coordinating initiatives at European, national and sectorial level.

With the consultation the Commission has published a number of documents about the construction sector including a background study. This study also refers to real estate services, and examines the importance and relevance of real estate services as a key client base of the construction sector. It contains a proposal for a competitiveness agenda for the European construction sector and the setting up of a dedicated taskforce to discuss these issues. There are also some interesting statistics concerning the sector for reference.

The consultation runs until 15 September 2011.
Further information