The 2023 Q4 meeting of the Green Building Councils European Network (ERN) took place on the 17th and 18th of October in Athens. Our hosts from the Sustainable Building Council of Greece linked the ERN Meetings to the SBC Sustainable Building Conference which followed on the 19th of October 2023.
The ERN internal meetings served their purpose to bring the Green Building Councils of Europe together to work towards popularization and implementation of the green construction practices. The agenda was focused on the ERN Projects and Advoacy and the objectives discussed were as following:
1. Advance cities agenda: We explored Irish Green Building Council proposal for collaboration on planning laws and agreed next steps.
2. Update of ERN Advocacy Manifesto: we started planning this piece of work targeting the new EU elections in 2024.
3. Convene GBC project staff: we discussed live projects, advanced our plans and identified synergies and win-wins between projects. Projects covered included BuildingLife, DRASTIC and Built4People / NEBULA.
4. Foster networking and knowledge sharing: we created space for CEOs and GBC leaders and ERN partners to connect with peers on key topics and facilitate more informal bilateral discussions.
We have very good news about the influence which the ERN BuildingLife project for creating of Whole Life Carbon Roadmaps in the latest Energy Performance Buildings Directive draft negotiated position from the trilogue process. This included a proposal that WLC thresholds would become mandatory by 2030 and the negotiators hope to finalise the trilogue process before the end of the year. We are glad the EC is taking into consideration the opinion and findings of our Green Buildings Network and shows willingness to implement our position in regard to Whole Live Carbon in the EPBD.
