Europe’s woodworking industries have made an urgent call for a scaling up of timber construction to address the EU housing crisis.
The Brussels-based European Confederation of Woodworking Industries (CEI-Bois) has submitted its contribution to the European Commission’s consultation on the forthcoming Affordable Housing Act.
In its response, CEI-Bois underlines that increasing housing supply must remain the central pillar of EU action, while ensuring sustainability and industrial competitiveness.
CEI-Bois considers that insufficient housing supply is the primary driver of the current housing crisis and calls for a structural response based on industrialised construction methods and increased use of timber.
“Timber-based construction can support the rapid expansion of affordable and quality housing while contributing to the EU’s climate objectives,” CEI-Bois said.
At the same time, CEI-Bois emphasises the importance of clear EU guidance and supportive regulatory frameworks to ensure that the remaining financial, regulatory and standardisation challenges are addressed.
CEI-Bois calls for:
- streamlined and more efficient permitting and regulatory procedures,
- the harmonisation and modernisation of building codes,
- updated construction product standards,
- the use of science-based sustainability assessment methodologies.
The industry also underlines that renewability should be recognised as equally important as recyclability within EU circular economy policies.
