The European Union has committed to achieving full, society-wide decarbonisation by 2050.
The buildings sector plays a critical role in this effort, given that the EU building stock accounts for about 36 of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To achieve its 2030 climate target of reducing GHG emissions by at least 55% compared to 1990, and climate neutrality by 2050, the EU must significantly increase its rate and depth of renovation, reduce GHG emissions from buildings by 60% compared to 2015, and by 2030 increase the deep renovation rate to 3% annually, up from the current 0.2%.

The EU has launched several key initiatives starting in 2019 and introduced updated legislation to achieve the 2050 goal. In addition, European COVID recovery plans allocate funds to promote a sustainable and green recovery, including programmes with a specific focus on building renovation, exampling that the EU considers building renovation as a central component for recovery. The key initiatives include the EU Green Deal, the Renovation Wave and the Fitfor55 package.

This paper provides an overview of key European initiatives and regulation, serving as a guidebook for building energy efficiency.