The European Parliament on Tuesday passed a regulation, which had been agreed on with the European Council, to reduce emissions and energy use in buildings, and the final bill for property owners could cost a fortune. According to the European Council, buildings account for 40 percent of energy use and 36 percent of emissions.
Poland’s conservative party (PiS) opposed the measure, arguing that it would lead to housing and energy poverty. PiS MEPs accused the present ruling left-liberal coalition in Poland of supporting the measure in the European Parliament and thereby making housing more expensive in Poland.
“Properties will be out of reach for ordinary Poles. New and old properties are to be bought up by investment funds from abroad and Poles will be poorer,” said Polish MEP Patryk Jaki.
Former Polish Prime Minister, MEP Beata Szydło, said that the new directive implied “poverty and the loss of their own homes” for millions of Poles and Europeans.
The new regulation is to reduce emissions so that by 2050, the building sector is carbon-neutral. It is to lead to the renovation of buildings and the construction of new buildings that are carbon-neutral. Member states are obliged to reduce energy use by 16 percent in 2030 and 20 to 22 percent in 2035.
As a result of the directive, member states will have to renovate 16 percent of the high-emission buildings by 2030 and 26 percent by 2033. They also must install solar panels on all public buildings and all new domestic buildings.
By 2040, member states have to additionally complete the decarbonization of heating systems, which will imply the elimination of fossil fuels from all forms of heating or cooling systems. From next year, it will be forbidden to subsidize any boiler systems powered by fossil fuels.
