The European Commission said Thursday it had launched infringement procedures against all 27 European Union member states for failing to fully integrate the bloc's overhauled building energy rules into national law.
The Commission sent letters of formal notice to every EU member state for their failure to fully implement the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, despite the May 29 deadline.
The revised directive, adopted in 2024, is a cornerstone of the EU's climate strategy and aims to accelerate the renovation of Europe's building stock, reduce energy consumption, and cut reliance on imported fossil fuels.
EU member states were required to notify the Commission by the May deadline that they had incorporated the directive into national legislation.
The EU's executive said a separate provision banning financial incentives for installing fossil fuel boilers had an earlier transposition deadline of Jan. 1, 2025.
Buildings account for the largest share of energy consumption in the European Union, and the Commission said the legislation was essential to addressing the bloc's low annual rate of building renovation, at about 1%.
The revised rules introduce minimum energy performance standards for non-residential buildings and establish renovation pathways for residential buildings.
They also require greater deployment of sustainable mobility infrastructure and solar energy systems in buildings.
The reforms are expected to help lower energy bills for households and businesses, strengthen the EU's energy security by reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels, and support the bloc's goal of achieving a zero-emission, fully decarbonized building stock by 2050.