This Week in Construction & Housing — Brussels (#21, 2026)
Revised fire resistance classes introduced under Construction Products Regulation; EP hearing on safer, sustainable building materials; Commission approves €100m Austrian cleantech scheme.
May 31, 2026 to June 06, 2026
Revised fire resistance classes introduced under Construction Products Regulation; EP hearing on safer, sustainable building materials; Commission approves €100m Austrian cleantech scheme.
📋 In This Week's Newsletter
• 🇪🇺 European Commission
• ⚖️ EU Legislation
• ✒️ EP Committee Work
• 📚 What We're Reading This Week
European Commission
Commission approves €100 million Austrian State aid scheme for construction-sector cleantech manufacturing
On 4 June, the European Commission approved an Austrian State aid scheme worth €100 million under the Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework (CISAF), adopted on 25 June 2025. The scheme targets manufacturing capacity for clean technologies, including batteries, solar panels, and windmills, and is open to both SMEs and large enterprises active in construction supply chains. Approved measures include subsidised loans for investments in strategic sectors situated in Austria; aid may be granted until 31 December 2026. The CISAF framework provides rules until 2030 for supporting renewable energy, decarbonisation of industrial processes, and cleantech manufacturing—particularly relevant to construction materials. Article 107(3)(c) TFEU served as the legal basis for approval, with the scheme complementing earlier support issued in December 2025.
EU Legislation (Official Journal)
Fire resistance classes set under Construction Products Regulation (EU) 2024/3110
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/557 of 16 March 2026, published 3 June 2026, supplements Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 by determining classes of performance for the essential characteristic 'resistance to fire' in construction products. The new regulation introduces harmonised performance categories for manufacturers declaring resistance to fire, ensuring continuity with previous classes set under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1681. The rules support both market access and safety regulatory needs for construction product placement in the EU. The Regulation enters into force twenty days after publication and is directly applicable in all Member States.
EP Committee Work
Joint IMCO-HOUS Hearing: Ensuring Safe and Sustainable Construction Materials in EU Housing
On 4 June, the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) and the Special Committee on the Housing Crisis in the EU (HOUS) jointly held a public hearing on 'Ensuring Safe and Sustainable Construction Materials in Housing Stock across the EU'. The agenda included a keynote by Stefan Moser (DG GROW, Housing Task Force), analysis of permitting and supply bottlenecks, and the impact of the revised Construction Products Regulation (EU) 2024/3110. Panelists addressed regulatory and market challenges faced by SMEs and discussed the implications for the use of digital product passports, harmonised standards, and innovative materials. Contributions from industry, standardisation bodies (CEN/CENELEC), and the Commission focused on reducing administrative delays, supporting innovation, and securing access to compliant materials for housing construction and renovation.
What We're Reading This Week
- 'Blind spots': May drone alert highlights poor access to air raid shelters for Lithuanians: Recent drone alerts exposed inadequate public access to air raid shelters, raising concerns about civilian safety in Lithuania.
- Spain, a country of 50 million people with infrastructure for 40 million: ‘The cracks are starting to show’: Spain's public services and infrastructure face increasing strain as population growth outpaces system capacity.
- Climate change 'supercharging' larger and more damaging hail in Europe: Rising global temperatures are linked to increasingly intense and destructive hailstorms across Europe, heightening risks for communities and agriculture.
