On 19 November 2015, The Concrete Initiative held its first annual event, Concrete Dialogue 2015, entitled: Citizens at the heart of the sustainably-built environment.  This event brought together Members of the European Parliament, European Commission and civil society for a concrete dialogue roundtable to debate issues of relevance to sustainable construction. Furthermore, a new study on the multiplier effect of investment in concrete, as well as a JRC study on sustainability in construction were presented, providing new insights to further stimulate the discussion.

Is European legislation having a negative impact on the competitiveness of the construction sector?  This is the question behind the recently launched European Commission consultation, which aims to gather feedback on the impact of EU legislation on the construction sector. It covers 15 pieces of EU legislation in the following policy fields: Internal Market, Energy Efficiency, Environment and Health & Safety.

18 million direct jobs. 9% of GDP. These are just some of the key figures highlighted in a new European Commission report on the importance of Europe’s construction sector.  However, as indicated in the report, the contribution of Europe’s construction industry goes way beyond these economic and growth priorities.