Highlights

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS The European Property Federation welcomes the new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive as a step change in the greening of the European building stock CRUCIAL DECISION FOR A BETTER RENTAL PROPERTY MARKET The Real Estate Council of the Netherlands – Raad voor Onroerende Zaken (ROZ) joins the European Property Federation ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENT FUND MANAGERS DIRECTIVE: Problems with scope and possible solutions raised at meeting with Commission STRICTER CRITERIA FOR PROPERTY LOANS UNDER THE CAPITAL REQUIREMENTS DIRECTIVE: EPF Position : Largely negative EPF response to the Commission Consultation REVISION OF THE INSURANCE MEDIATION DIRECTIVE: Landlords targeted. EU INITIATIVES ON LIABILITY AND INSURANCE REGIMES IN THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR: EPF response to the Elios Report EPF ACTIVITY: 2009 Annual Report EPF EU REAL ESTATE POLICY CHART: Overview of EU Real Estate Policy and EPF activity COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION ON SMOKE-FREE ENVIRONMENTS: No tolerance for designated smoking areas. Owner/manager responsibilities. Penalties. EU LEGISLATION ON DERIVATIVES MARKETS: Would cover real estate interest rate hedging NEW EU URBAN POLICY AND EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT INTERGROUP: New Commissioner announces new EU urban policy and 69 MEPs launch URBAN Intergroup EQUAL TREATMENT DIRECTIVE: Very badly thought out measures for the identification and elimination of barriers to accessibility for the disabled in housing and other buildings COMMISSION CONSTRUCTION POLICY INITIATIVES IMPACTING EPF: 1) Construction Competitiveness, 2) Liability and Insurance Regimes in the Construction Sector, 3) EU Construction Information Platform TREATY OF LISBON: Impacts EU real estate policy in many ways

EU ECOLABEL FOR BUILDINGS: Major problems with the Commission Ad Hoc Working Group’s 2nd draft criteria for the award of the ecolabel In  its  input  to  its  partners  on  the  Working  Group  and  to  the  Commission,  EPF  stresses  that  as  it  stands,  the  scheme  will  not  be  able  to  attract  the  interest  of  building  owners,  especially  in  the  face  of  more  attractive  initiatives  arising,  inter  alia,  from  the  recast  of  the  Energy  Performance  of  Buildings  Directive  and  from  the  private  sector.  EPF  points  out  that  greater  clarity  is  needed  on  the  intentions  of  the  Ecolabel  for  Buildings.  It  appears  at  present  that  the  initiative  is  seeking  both  to  gear  higher  standards  of  construction  of  buildings,  as  well  as  to  motivate  improvements  in  the  use  of  buildings.  These  goals  are  laudable,  but  in  order  to  achieve  both  aims,  the  allocation  of  responsibilities  needs  to  be  clearer,  and  the  mechanisms  by  which  they  will  be  achieved  also  need  to  be  clarified.    2nd  Draft  Criteria  and  full  EPF  comments  can  be  freely  accessed  on  ENVIRONMENT:  EU  Ecolabel  for  Buildings.

© 1999 European Property Federation