Construction

Construction sector competitiveness

Architect talking to investor over the blueprints © endostock - Fotolia

Building regulations and public investment has a major influence on the sector in terms of cyclical stabilization of macro-economic trends. Furthermore, the construction sector is affected to a large extent by other legislation concerning the protection of the environment, energy efficiency, safety at work, social security, VAT, liability regimes, public procurement, etc.

At the same time, the competitiveness of the construction sector depends on:

the commitment of the market operators towards a better quality policy;
sustainability development objectives;
research and innovation activities;
improved skills and qualifications of its workforce and management.

The European Commission, in partnership with the industry and the Member States, aims at developing an ongoing competitiveness strategy about the response of the construction sector to major European and international challenges of the future: the globalization of the markets, economic and employment growth, energy and climate change, the protection of the environment, demographic changes, social cohesion, safety and health of the citizens, etc.

The Lead Market Initiative Sustainable Constructionaims at speeding up the access of citizens and business to new buildings features with enhanced quality of life through the creation of favourable framework conditions and public policy measures in the areas of legislation, standardization, labelling, certification and public procurement.