Prohibition of fueling with coal and gas. Is a building revolution coming?
“All buildings are to be emission-free by 2030 if they are new, by 2050 if they already exist and by January 2028 if they are public institutions. This is a vision of madmen” – these are the words that Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik summed up the EPBD directive. The Confederation’s MEP submitted a request to the European Commission to withdraw from this plan.
It is worth starting by explaining what the EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive) is. On the Polish government website we read:
“The directive recast in 2024 is a continuation of previous regulations on the energy efficiency of buildings, gradually introduced since 2002 at the EU and national level. The purpose of the regulations being introduced is to rationalize energy consumption in buildings and to construct new buildings with an appropriate energy standard.
Building Directive. What is it about?
However, not all MEPs speak with one voice. Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik (Confederation) presented a proposal for the European Union to withdraw from the EPBD Building Directive. She announced this on Thursday at a press conference.
“The directive contains many dangerous provisions that will oblige us, Poles, but also all Europeans, to carry out extremely costly renovations of buildings. All buildings are to be emission-free by 2030 if they are new buildings, by 2050 if they are existing buildings and by January 2028 if they are buildings of public institutions. This is a madman’s vision,” she said.
According to her, “Europe is facing a housing crisis that is completely ignored by Eurocrats. Housing is one of the basic existential needs, and the Building Directive will drive real estate prices up dramatically.”
“We can’t let this happen.”
Zajączkowska-Hernik also drew attention to the provisions in the directive regarding penalties for failure to meet these goals.
‘Point 7 of Article 9 literally refers to the penalties imposed by Article 34 of that Directive: ‘Member States shall take the measures necessary to introduce the minimum energy performance standards referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article, including appropriate monitoring mechanisms and penalties in accordance with Article 34. When laying down rules on penalties, Member States shall take into account the financial situation of owners of residential properties and their access to appropriate financial support, in particular in the case of households located in difficult situation,” she emphasized.
“The directive may lead to the ruin of many household budgets of Polish families. We cannot allow this,” she appealed.
“We are submitting a request to the European Commission to withdraw its pathological records,” concluded Zajączkowska-Hernik.
The application was also signed by other Members of the European Parliament, including Anna Bryłka, Tomasz Buczek and Daniel Obajtek.
