HouseEurope!

YES to Renovation! NO to Demolition!
The European Citizens’ Initiative HouseEurope! advocates for EU laws that prioritise renovating and transforming existing buildings over demolition. It demands a “right to re-use” for existing buildings, based on three key pillars: tax incentives such as ultra-low VAT rates for renovations and reused materials (applicable to all buildings, not just housing); fair evaluation standards that ensure the potential of existing buildings is properly assessed, beyond just risk factors; and new value metrics that account for the grey energy and CO₂ content of existing buildings, which are currently overlooked.