EU-level regulation also has a major impact on the Finnish construction industry, although it reaches the national level with a delay. RT has strengthened its EU advocacy so that it can proactively influence policies concerning the construction industry, even before the Commission's proposals. We have compiled a summary of relevant, current EU regulatory projects for the sector.
Construction Products Regulation
The EU Construction Products Regulation (CPR) for manufacturers of construction products entered into force on 8 January 2026. The articles that entered into force last year mainly concerned the Commission and the preparation of standardisation requests for new standards. The only thing missing from the entry into force is a penalty provision, which is intended to be enacted nationally as an amendment to the Construction Act.
In practice, however, the old and new Construction Products Regulations will apply on top of each other until 2039. The new Construction Products Regulation will be applied one harmonised product standard at a time as they are published. So far, the Commission has not published any harmonised product standards under the new Construction Products Regulation.
The Construction Products Regulation contributes to the effective functioning of the internal market by ensuring the free movement of safe and sustainable construction products within the Union. It also supports the objectives of the green and digital transitions by preventing and reducing the impacts of construction products on the environment and on human health and safety. A major change compared to the previous regulation is the declaration of the environmental performance of a construction product, i.e. the calculation of the product's carbon footprint and the inclusion of a circular economy perspective. National requirements will be better taken into account in the standards in the future thanks to the CPR Acquis process.
Manufacturers will have to create a digital product passport for their products in the future and ensure the availability of spare parts. In the future, public procurement will have to comply with environmental sustainability requirements in accordance with the Commission's delegated act. The Commission has not yet issued a delegated act on the digital product passport or on green public procurement. In practice, it will still be years before the Construction Products Regulation is fully applied.
Delegated act related to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive
On 16 December 2025, the Commission published a delegated act on the calculation of GWP (Global Warming Potential) related to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). The delegated act is based on the standard EN 15978. Member States have been given some flexibility in implementing the delegated act. There are more modules to be taken into account in the calculation than in the Ministry of the Environment's regulation on climate assessment and the list of construction products.
The Commission Delegated Act will have to be complied with from 2028 in new buildings over 1,000 m2, and in all buildings from 2030. The calculation encourages the use of low-carbon building materials, such as clean steel and cement, and the reuse and recycling of building products. The Ministry of the Environment will likely have to change its regulations on carbon footprint calculation in the coming years.
Affordable Housing Plan
On 16 December 2025, the Commission adopted the Affordable Housing Plan, which aims to ensure access to affordable, sustainable and quality housing. House prices in Europe have increased by 60% and rents by 20% over the past 10 years. In Europe, the housing crisis is hampering labour mobility, access to education and family formation, the competitiveness of the EU economy and social cohesion. The Commission's plan focuses on increasing housing supply, launching investment and reforms, tackling short-term rentals in areas suffering from housing stress and supporting those most affected.
The Commission proposes to revise EU state aid rules. Affordable projects could be supported without prior notification and Commission authorisation if SGEI conditions are met. Member States will be free to define the forms of support, target groups, eligibility criteria and price and quality requirements for social and affordable housing according to their own situation and needs. Administrative requirements for state aid in terms of notification, monitoring and reporting will be simplified in all SGEI cases.
€43 billion is available for investment from the 2021-2027 budget. Some of the money has already been allocated. New investment is available for housing under the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), including an estimated €10 billion in additional investment in 2026 and 2027 through the InvestEU programme, and at least €1,5 billion from Member States' and regions' proposals to reprogramme cohesion funding in the mid-term review. Additional support is foreseen through the Social Climate Fund for investments in energy efficiency, building renovation and clean heating and cooling. New funding opportunities are available under the financial framework for 2028-2034. National and regional partnership plans will enable Member States to address their own housing challenges through investments and reforms.
The European Strategy for Housing Construction addresses the mismatch between housing supply and demand. The New European Bauhaus (NEB) includes sustainable, affordable and high-quality projects mainly in the built environment. A legislative initiative on short-term rentals is expected in spring 2026.
The construction sector has seen a threefold increase in labour and skills shortages in Europe over the past ten years. Only 1% of construction services provide cross-border services within the EU. The Commission plans to adopt a Construction Services Act by the end of 2026 to ensure that companies and professionals can provide construction services across borders without compromising working conditions and social standards.
With regard to legislative projects concerning housing, it is worth considering that, according to the Lisbon Treaty, housing is the responsibility of the Member States, not the Commission.
Environmental Omnibus
On 10 December 2025, the Commission published the so-called Omnibus Environment Package, which aims to promote sustainable growth through simpler environmental legislation. Environmental legislation will be simplified in the areas of industrial emissions, the circular economy, environmental assessments and spatial data. The EU wants to maintain its ambitious goals for protecting the environment and human health while reducing the administrative burden on businesses. The simplification package consists of six legislative proposals that will start being discussed in Council working groups and parliamentary committees. Of particular relevance to Finland is the proposal to amend the Waste Framework Directive to abolish the SCIP database of substances of concern in products.
Military Mobility – Military Mobility Package
On 19 November 2025, the Commission adopted the Military Mobility Package. This is a set of measures aimed at ensuring the rapid, coordinated and secure movement of military personnel and equipment within the EU. The package addresses obstacles to military mobility, including regulatory and infrastructure obstacles.
In terms of infrastructure, dual-use infrastructure is the most important. The Multiannual Financial Framework intends to increase support for 500 hotspot projects to improve four priority corridors for military mobility. The aim is to improve the resilience and cyber protection of strategic dual-use infrastructure, such as ports, airports, bridges, tunnels and energy infrastructure relevant to transport.
Developing the transport network requires significant investment. The EU's Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027 has already funded 95 dual-use projects for €1,69 billion. Demand for funding has been high. The Commission has proposed a tenfold increase in funding to €17,65 billion in the next budget period starting in 2028. In the meantime, Member States can also use re-allocated cohesion policy funds and the SAFE instrument to support dual-use infrastructure projects.
The package could be very financially significant for various infrastructure projects in Finland. RT has been active in lobbying the EU Commission to influence the matter.
The package includes a Commission proposal for a regulation on the transport of military equipment, supplies and personnel, which will begin to be discussed in a Council working group and in parliamentary committees.
Carbon Boundary Mechanism CBAM
The Carbon Border Mechanism (CBAM) will apply to, among others, iron, steel, cement and aluminium from 1 January 2026. When these are imported into the EU, the importer will have to pay a “carbon tax”, i.e. offset their emissions by paying the EU a price equivalent to emissions trading. This aims to promote global emission reductions and prevent carbon leakage, i.e. the relocation of EU industry outside Europe.
The scope of CBAM will be extended to certain steel and aluminium-intensive downstream products from 1 January 2028. This will mean that from 2028 onwards importers will have to pay a carbon price for the emissions associated with these goods. The aim is to level the playing field for manufacturers compared to goods manufactured in the EU, as European manufacturers are covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). The change will increase costs for EU producers using CBAM materials in downstream products. Without the extension of downstream products (so-called downstream products) to the scope of CBAM, there is a risk that production will shift to countries with more relaxed climate policies or that products manufactured in the EU will be replaced by carbon-intensive imported products.
Circular Economy Act
The Commission is preparing a new circular economy regulation and held a consultation on it last autumn. The aim is to improve the EU's economic security and competitiveness, while promoting more sustainable and circular production models and decarbonisation. The Commission aims to facilitate the free movement of reusable products, products made from secondary raw materials and waste. The aim is also to increase the supply of high-quality recycled materials and create demand for them in the internal market. We expect a new circular economy regulation in autumn 2026, in line with the Commission's 2026 Work Programme.
Links
- Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2024 on the harmonisation of rules for the marketing of construction products and repealing Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 (Text with EEA relevance)
- Commission encourages low-carbon construction materials with calculation framework for life-cycle global warming potential – European Commission
- The European Affordable Housing Plan – Housing – European Commission
- EUR-Lex – 52025DC1025 – EN – EUR-Lex
- Promoting sustainable growth through simpler and smarter environmental legislation
- Military mobility - Defence industry and space - European Commission
- Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council
- Commission strengthens carbon border mechanism
More information
Kirsi Martinkauppi
Sustainability Director
kirsi.martinkauppi@rt.fi +358 50 582 2464Rakennustuoteollisuus RTT ry