European climate and sustainability frameworks
Various European programmes and directives together form the broader framework within which the Dutch environmental performance requirements are established. This page is intended for anyone who wants to understand how these European frameworks relate to each other, from policymakers to advisers.
The European Union works with a series of coherent programmes to make the construction sector more sustainable. The Green Deal sets the long-term targets, Fit for 55 translates this into concrete legislative proposals for 2030, and the Circular Action Plan focuses specifically on circular material use in the construction chain. LEVEL(s) also provides a common European framework to assess the sustainability of buildings. In addition, there is European legislation that focuses on specific product groups or on the energy performance of buildings. These frameworks are guiding, but not without obligation. Regulations apply directly in all member states, directives must be transposed into Dutch legislation. Dutch policy must process all these frameworks together in its implementation.
The European Green Deal
The European Green Deal contains legislative and policy initiatives that contribute to the European climate targets, with the overarching goal that the EU is climate neutral in 2050. The European climate law enshrines this ambition, with interim targets such as a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent in 2030 compared to 1990.
Fit for 55
To align European climate policy with the targets of the Green Deal, the European Commission presented the Fit for 55 package in 2021: a series of legislative proposals in areas including industry, transport, energy and aviation and shipping. The individual regulations and directives each have their own timetable for implementation and entry into force.
Circular Economy Action Plan
As part of the Green Deal, the European Commission presented the Circular Action Plan, aimed at a product policy framework in which sustainable products, services and business models become the norm. In this action plan, the construction sector has been designated as a priority chain, with the aim of increasing material efficiency and limiting the consequences for the climate.
LEVEL(s)
LEVEL(s) is a framework, drawn up by the European Union, with common indicators that can be used to assess the environmental performance of buildings over their life span. It offers a preferred basic approach for assessing and reporting on the sustainability performance of buildings, and is voluntary in nature and not yet suitable for quantifying limit and target values.
Ecodesign Regulation (ESPR)
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation is an EU framework regulation that sets rules to make physical products on the European market more sustainable, repairable and circular. As a result, the previous Ecodesign directive has not only been legally changed into a regulation with direct effect in the Member States, but now also goes beyond the previous focus on energy efficiency alone. Circularity (reuse and recycling) from the perspective of sustainability now also includes provisions relating to life span extension such as repairability.
Energy Efficiency Directive (EED)
The EED sets energy saving targets for buildings, with an important role for governments, in line with the Green Deal. With the 2023 revision, not only concrete target values are set, but attention is also paid, among other things, to energy poverty. EU Member States are required to draw up and maintain national energy and climate plans for this purpose, in the Netherlands this currently concerns the 'Update of the Integral National Plan Energy and Climate 2021-2030'.
Renewable Energy Directive (RED)
The RED brings together legislation for the production and promotion of renewable energy in the EU. From the Fit for 55 package, proposals have been made for revision of the RED. Since the first version in 2009, the third version from 2023 has now come into force. This improves alignment with other developments. The RED also contains the hard concrete target of generating at least 42.5% of energy sustainably, with an aspiration of 45%.
Product Environmental Footprint (PEF)
To avoid confusion arising from the fact that various methods exist side by side to present products as environmentally friendly, the European Commission is developing the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF), a standardised method to declare the environmental performance of a product. The basis for this lies in the ESPR and applies in principle to all products placed on the European market. The PEF focuses on the business-to-consumer market, the direct end user. For construction products, however, more is needed across the entire production chain of raw material extraction, construction product and contribution to a construction work. In this, the more complex business-to-business dynamic plays a major role. This is regulated in more detail by the Construction Products Regulation.
Frequently asked questions
These frameworks are guiding at European level. Concrete obligations follow from the Dutch legislation and regulations based on them, such as the Decree on Structures in the Living Environment (Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving) and the Environmental Regulations (Omgevingsregeling).
The Green Deal is the European Union's overarching long-term strategy to make Europe climate neutral by 2050, covering a broad range of policy areas such as energy, circular economy, agriculture and biodiversity. Fit for 55 is a concrete legislative package within that strategy: a set of revised and new laws intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. In short, the Green Deal provides the vision and direction, while Fit for 55 translates this into binding measures for the intermediate target of 2030.