The European Union has set ambitious climate protection targets for 2020. The building sector is a cornerstone of the climate protection program because it represents 40% of final energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions, throughout the EU. Buildings play a central role in our societies, providing places to live, work or enjoy leisure activities. They are the basis of our urban environment, impacting the social, economic and ecologic aspects of our lives. Indeed, our health, comfort and safety as well as our economy and our natural environment are strongly connected with the construction sector activities. There will be significant challenges for all stakeholders as both private and public bodies evaluate their current investments and policies, and formulate new quality standards for future buildings. Several European projects have developed, compared, harmonized, and explored various building assessment tools. Six European projects have held four joint working sessions over the last 2 years to find a collective agreement for a common framework for assessing sustainable building.

Assessement: http://www.fedarene.org/documents/Events/2012_10_Raee_CESBA/CESBA%20statement_Final%20draft_EN.pdf