(1) EPBD (2024): European directive aiming to make the EU’s building stock carbon-neutral by 2050. (2) CSRD: European extra-financial reporting directive, requiring large EU companies to monitor and report on their environmental, social and governance performance. Energy transition: beyond the standards, citizen engagement is essential Janus Christoffersen, Head of the Building Renovation Unit at Copenhagen city council (Denmark), supports the renovation of the city’s existing built environment, with the aim of drastically reducing the use of resources and limiting CO2 emissions. While emphasizing the key role played by the public sector, he stresses the need to fully involve citizens in this transition. “The energy transition of the construction sector – i.e. equipping ourselves to reduce the huge consumption of energy and materials we see today – must be seen as a complex transformation requiring a vision shared by all stakeholders and over the long term. At European and national level, the EPBD(1) and CSRD(2) initiatives, although yet to be implemented within the framework of standardized, well-established operations, are important steps forward. But even if public action can facilitate transition processes, they can only be achieved through the active participation of citizens, who might otherwise perceive this transition as something ‘imposed’ on them, rather than as a necessary societal process.” READ the full interview in Constructing a sustainable future POINT OF VIEW 106
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