Fire Safety picked up in Own-Initiative Report on Energy Efficient buildings

25 May 2020 

As part of the project initiated within the ITRE Committee, MEP Ciarán Cuffe (Group of the Greens, Ireland) is currently the rapporteur of the “Draft report on maximising the energy efficiency potential of the EU building stock”.

The aim of the report is as follows: it “examines the potential of energy efficiency in buildings, and, in the context of the current crisis suggests that a European renovation wave could assist with an economic recovery by creating local jobs, upskilling workers, and creating resilient communities”.

This Own Initiative Report has been utilised as an opportunity by different political groups to include considerations other than strict energy efficiency aspects. In particular, fire safety appears more than once:

• There is a proposition by the EPP group to “underline that energy renovation is an opportunity to undertake safety checks (e.g. electrical safety, fire safety features)”. The Modern Building Alliance fully supports this message;
• Another proposition by the EPP group seeks to “underline that ensuring quality, compliance and (fire) safety requires adequate competencies and skills of professionals involved during design and construction/renovation”, which echoes our Call for Action on fire safety competency;
• Finally, a number of MEPs from Renew have drafted a proposition to “recall that fire safety aspects should be considered during the design, construction, renovation and operation of buildings” and referred to the 7 layers of fire safety in buildings: “prevention, detection, early suppression, evacuation, compartmentation, structural safety and firefighting”.

The Modern Building Alliance welcomes these amendments that pave the way for further enhanced fire safety and will continue to engage with Members of the European Parliament to support the EU in ensuring safe and sustainable construction for citizens.

The text and amendments are due to be put to the vote in July.

Full draft

ITRE - Amendments