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EUROPEAN FEDERATION OF BUILDING AND WOODWORKERS

EFBWW

The EFBWW is the European trade union federation for workers in construction, wood, and forestry.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Dennis Radtke (Member of the European Parliament)

20 Jan 2026 · Subcontracting INI

Meeting with Jana Toom (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

20 Jan 2026 · Subcontracting

Response to Construction services Act

12 Dec 2025

The Construction Services Act should not liberalise at the expense of workers. It should be an instrument to improve working conditions and attractivity. This can only be achieved if we strengthen enforcement and tackle fraudulent and abusive business models that are over-reliant on subcontracting and bogus self-employment. Fraud and abuse flourish where enforcement is weak. We need to support paritarian institute and ensure high level of OSH standards. The aim should be to make construction more attractive, more productive and more sustainable. To do this, the Construction Services Act must reinforce rather than dilute national frameworks that protect workers which means guaranteeing accountability throughout subcontracting chains. A legislative initiative that prioritises deregulation and simplification at the expense of oversight would worsen the very problems that the Commission and others have identified in the sector. A credible proposal must therefore look to improve compliance and promote quality jobs. Please see the accompanying document for further details.
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Meeting with Johan Danielsson (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions

3 Dec 2025 · Subcontacting

Meeting with Johan Danielsson (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

19 Nov 2025 · Subcontacting

Meeting with Johan Danielsson (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

5 Nov 2025 · Subcontacting

Meeting with Alicia Homs Ginel (Member of the European Parliament)

28 Oct 2025 · Effect of extreme temperatures in the workplace on workers' health and safety

Meeting with Per Clausen (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

24 Oct 2025 · E-declaration

Construction workers' union calls for stronger carcinogen protections in EU directive

21 Oct 2025
Topic — EU proposal to add welding fumes and set exposure limits for carcinogens at work.
Message — The union welcomes inclusion of welding fumes and limits for PAHs, dioxane and cobalt. However, they oppose excluding isoprene from limits and call for lower exposure limits for diesel exhaust, crystalline silica, wood dust and chromium.1234
Why — Stronger limits would reduce their members' cancer risk from workplace exposures.56
Impact — Employers face higher compliance costs from stricter exposure limits and monitoring requirements.78
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Construction unions demand quality jobs and worker protections in EU housing strategy

17 Sept 2025
Topic — EU strategy to boost housing construction sector productivity and competitiveness.
Message — The federation demands the housing strategy be linked to quality jobs, with measures including stronger social dialogue, conditional public funding requiring collective agreements, limits on subcontracting chains, and mandatory occupational safety training. They call for reform of EU procurement rules to prioritize fair labour practices over lowest price.1234
Why — This would reduce exploitation of their members and improve working conditions in construction.567
Impact — Construction employers lose flexibility to minimize costs through subcontracting chains and lowest-price bidding.89
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Meeting with Per Clausen (Member of the European Parliament)

15 Sept 2025 · Asbestos

Meeting with Leila Chaibi (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions

4 Sept 2025 · EMPL related issues

Meeting with Per Clausen (Member of the European Parliament) and European Construction Industry Federation

10 Jun 2025 · Project conference - Reception - Social Identity Cards In Construction (SIDE-CIC)

Meeting with Maria Ohisalo (Member of the European Parliament)

8 Apr 2025 · Housing Strategy

Meeting with Gabriele Bischoff (Member of the European Parliament)

26 Mar 2025 · Austausch

Meeting with Regina Doherty (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion) and EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION and

18 Mar 2025 · Public Procurement

European construction unions demand social safeguards in public procurement reform

7 Mar 2025
Topic — Evaluation of EU directives governing public procurement and concessions contracts.
Message — The organization requests mandatory social criteria including limits on subcontracting, abolition of lowest-price bidding, mandatory collective agreement application, and stronger enforcement mechanisms. They argue current rules enable fraud, social dumping, and worker exploitation through complex subcontracting chains.1234
Why — This would protect their members from wage competition and exploitation in public contracts.567
Impact — Companies using subcontracting to cut costs would face higher labor expenses and stricter compliance.8910
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Meeting with Per Clausen (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion) and EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION and

6 Mar 2025 · public procurement

Meeting with Piotr Müller (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and BUSINESSEUROPE

4 Mar 2025 · Evaluation of the Public Procurement Directives

Meeting with Johan Danielsson (Member of the European Parliament)

21 Feb 2025 · Kampen mot arbetslivskriminalitet

Meeting with Hanna Gedin (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

20 Feb 2025 · Public procurement

Meeting with Adam Pokorny (Head of Unit Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion)

11 Feb 2025 · Commission proposal for revision of Directive 2009/38/EC

Meeting with Per Clausen (Member of the European Parliament)

15 Jan 2025 · The European list of occupational diseases

Meeting with Francesco Corti (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu), Triinu Volmer (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu)

15 Jan 2025 · Discussion on construction sector

Meeting with Roxana Mînzatu (Executive Vice-President) and

14 Jan 2025 · Exchange of views on the social justice and quality jobs crisis Europe is facing Necessary initiatives to deliver quality jobs Improved working and living conditions in the European Union

Meeting with Johan Danielsson (Member of the European Parliament) and The Swedish Trade Union Confederation

18 Nov 2024 · Kampen mot arbetslivskriminalitet

Meeting with Gabriele Bischoff (Member of the European Parliament)

16 Oct 2024 · General Exchange

Meeting with Johan Danielsson (Member of the European Parliament)

17 Sept 2024 · Kampen mot arbetslivskriminalitet i byggbranschen

Meeting with Johan Danielsson (Member of the European Parliament)

19 Jun 2024 · Kampen mot arbetslivskriminalitet

Meeting with Dennis Radtke (Member of the European Parliament)

20 Mar 2024 · EU-Sozialversicherungssysteme

Meeting with Marina Mesure (Member of the European Parliament)

20 Mar 2024 · Sous-traitance

Meeting with Gabriele Bischoff (Member of the European Parliament)

18 Mar 2024 · Austausch zur Situation von Beschäftigten im Bausektor

Meeting with Maroš Šefčovič (Executive Vice-President) and European farmers and

14 Mar 2024 · High level dialogue on forest-based bioeconomy

Meeting with Marina Mesure (Member of the European Parliament)

14 Dec 2023 · Droits du travail

Meeting with Chris Macmanus (Member of the European Parliament)

19 Jul 2023 · Workers' rights

Meeting with Ilan De Basso (Member of the European Parliament)

7 Jun 2023 · Demonstration

Meeting with Gabriele Bischoff (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

7 Jun 2023 · EFBWW's Subcontracting Demonstration

Meeting with Ilan De Basso (Member of the European Parliament)

30 May 2023 · Seminarie

Meeting with Kurt Vandenberghe (Director-General Climate Action) and EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION and

28 Apr 2023 · FF55; Net Zero industrial plan; Climate risk assessment

Meeting with Nikolaj Villumsen (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION

30 Mar 2023 · Revision of Asbestos Directive

Meeting with Joost Korte (Director-General Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) and BUSINESSEUROPE and

16 Mar 2023 · CMRD6

Meeting with Nikolaj Villumsen (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION

15 Mar 2023 · Revision of Asbestos Directive

Meeting with Agnes Jongerius (Member of the European Parliament)

28 Feb 2023 · Public Procurement

Meeting with Véronique Trillet-Lenoir (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION

27 Feb 2023 · Asbestos at work directive

Meeting with Ciarán Cuffe (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and European Construction Industry Federation and European Builders Confederation

22 Feb 2023 · Speaker at event: Construction Blueprint project / The skills needed to implement the Renovation Wave

Meeting with Marina Mesure (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur for opinion) and European Construction Industry Federation

1 Feb 2023 · Amiante

Meeting with Véronique Trillet-Lenoir (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION and European Trade Union Institute

31 Jan 2023 · Asbestos at work directive

Meeting with Nikolaj Villumsen (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

7 Dec 2022 · Asbestos

Meeting with Kateřina Konečná (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION and

1 Dec 2022 · Construction Products Regulation

Meeting with Véronique Trillet-Lenoir (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and European Trade Union Institute

30 Nov 2022 · Asbestos at work directive

Meeting with Véronique Trillet-Lenoir (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

17 Nov 2022 · Asbestos at work directive

Meeting with Nikolaj Villumsen (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

7 Jun 2022 · Asbestos

Response to Revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2010/31/EU

30 Mar 2022

The EFBWW welcomes the revision of the EPBD as a necessary and important step to achieve the climate targets enshrined in the European Climate Law. In order to live up to the ambitious goals of the EPBD as well as the Renovation Wave, millions of buildings will need to be renovated over the next decades. This means that many buildings will undergo major renovation. The EPBD presents a lot of opportunities to solve other problems related to the quality of the European building stock which should not be overlooked in the revision. This opportunity must not be wasted. Firstly, asbestos is a silent killer, still very much present in the European built environment. Thousands of construction workers all over Europe have to handle asbestos daily. The EPBD should be used as an opportunity to put forward demands for asbestos screenings of the buildings being renovated as well as demands for the safe removal of asbestos in these buildings. To put an end to asbestos in European buildings once and for all should be a mandatory objective, and the Renovation Wave and the EPBD presents an opportunity to do so and should not be wasted. To achieve this, the European Commission should create a European framework for national strategies for the safe removal of all asbestos in the EU. These strategies should be based on a comprehensive analysis and registration of contaminated buildings, a clear and realistic timeline for each Member State for asbestos removal, and safe, documented, and controlled disposal of asbestos waste. Secondly, the revision fails to take into account why we use energy in buildings. Mostly, we do so in order to create a better indoor climate through e.g. heating, cooling, ventilation etc. Even though article 1 of the directive states that it should take “indoor climate requirements” into account, there is a lack of focus on indoor climate throughout the entire revision. By having a single-minded focus on energy savings the revision will as a best case scenario miss a golden opportunity to achieve a lot of added benefits. Improving indoor climate can bring about many added benefits such as better performing students in schools, improved living quality in residential housing, increased productivity in office spaces etc. As such, Member States should introduce targets concerning the improvement in indoor climate in their long-term renovation strategies.
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EFBWW Urges EU Strategy to Remove All Asbestos

22 Mar 2022
Topic — Revising EU legislation to protect workers from the risks of asbestos exposure.
Message — The federation calls for a comprehensive European strategy to eliminate asbestos from buildings. They request mandatory digital registries and lower exposure limits to better protect workers.123
Why — Strict common standards would create a level playing field for competition across Europe.4
Impact — Property owners and sellers face higher costs for mandatory screenings and potential fines.5
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Meeting with Nikolaj Villumsen (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

2 Feb 2022 · Asbest

Meeting with Joost Korte (Director-General Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) and European Construction Industry Federation

16 Dec 2021 · social ID, Esspass

Meeting with Nikolaj Villumsen (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

28 Oct 2021 · Asbestos

Meeting with Nikolaj Villumsen (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

28 Oct 2021 · OSH

Meeting with Nikolaj Villumsen (Member of the European Parliament) and European Construction Industry Federation

13 Oct 2021 · Morgenbrief: Towards digital enforcement for the construction industry

Meeting with Nikolaj Villumsen (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

2 Sept 2021 · EFBWW expert meeting: Asbestos

Meeting with Nikolaj Villumsen (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

1 Sept 2021 · asbestos

Meeting with Frans Timmermans (Executive Vice-President) and BUSINESSEUROPE and

1 Jun 2021 · Fit for 55 Package

Meeting with Nicolas Schmit (Commissioner) and

1 Jun 2021 · Exchanges on the Fit for 55 package.

Response to Revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2010/31/EU

19 Mar 2021

EFBWW welcomes the revision of EPBD as an opportunity to improve some aspects of the existing regulatory framework. Because the potential for cost-effective energy savings is so high, the buildings sector has become a priority area for the EU to meet its ambitious climate and energy targets for 2020 and 2050. Today, buildings account for 40% of the energy consumed and for about 40% of CO2 emissions. The annual renovation rate of the building stock varies from 0.4% to 1.2% in the Member States. This rate will need at least to double to reach the EU’s energy efficiency and climate objectives. The long-term renovation strategies must also take health and safety of renovation workers (including DIY activities) and indoor air quality into account. This allows for the introduction of holistic renovation policies that combine energy renovation with the removal of asbestos and other harmful substances. EFBWW believes that a European framework for national strategies for the safe removal of all asbestos in the EU, based on a comprehensive analysis and registration of contaminated buildings, a clear and realistic timeline for each Member State for asbestos removal, and safe, documented, and controlled disposal of asbestos waste should be established. The core of this initiative should be a legislative proposal by the Commission to introduce minimum standards for publicly accessible national registers for asbestos in buildings and other hazardous substances, including public buildings like schools, gyms and public administrations, and privately owned buildings. The revision of the EPBD plays a core role in this regard: The EFBWW calls for an amendment to Article 7 of the EPBD to make it mandatory in all Member States to screen buildings for asbestos and other hazardous substance before the start of any works, in line with Directive 2009/148/EC. The Commission should also pay attention that the long-term renovation strategies that foresee policies to target the worst-performing buildings, split-incentive dilemmas and market failures as well as measures to alleviate energy poverty. EFBWW demands that the EU step up its efforts to ensure that affordable, renewable energy is available to low-income and poor end-users in buildings, including no raising of rents or shift of renovation costs to the tenants. To achieve this, a full involvement of trade unions in a structured sectoral social dialogue at the various levels should be guaranteed. Current rules in some Member States do not allow funds (including EU funds) for improvements to the energy performance of buildings to be used for the removal of asbestos. But owners of buildings urgently need access to financing for the safe and orderly removal of asbestos and other hazardous substances. The Commission should make sure that available EU funds can and will be used efficiently and in a holistic manner, including for the removal of asbestos. High levels of skills and training tend to lead to quality employment. Given the long-term projection into the year 2050 and beyond national strategies should also have a sustainable vision for quality employment in the construction sector. The transition to a sustainable, carbon-neutral and resource-efficient industry will have a major impact on skills needs. The shift towards a climate-neutral society will also bring about changes in the world of work. This shift must be fair, meaning that anyone working in the construction and woodworking industries must be (re)trained at an early stage to meet new occupational requirements. Workers in industries particularly affected by this shift (e.g. by losing their job) must receive adequate compensation. The new EPBD should envisage direct employment and workers being contracted immediately in all public projects. All workers should receive full equal treatment and have to be covered by the Collective Bargaining Agreements in place and/or enter in collective bargaining with relevant sectoral trade unions.
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Meeting with Nikolaj Villumsen (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

1 Mar 2021 · Asbest

Meeting with Thierry Breton (Commissioner) and

27 Nov 2020 · High Level Roundtable - Skills for the Construction Sector

Meeting with Nicolas Schmit (Commissioner) and

27 Nov 2020 · Pact for Skills roundtable with the construction sector.

Meeting with Andrea Nahles (Cabinet of Commissioner Nicolas Schmit) and Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund and

12 Nov 2020 · Social dialogue

Meeting with Nikolaj Villumsen (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

12 Oct 2020 · Asbestos

Meeting with Andrea Nahles (Cabinet of Commissioner Nicolas Schmit) and industriAll European Trade Union and

2 Oct 2020 · Social dialogue

Meeting with Nikolaj Villumsen (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

24 Sept 2020 · Asbest

Meeting with Diederik Samsom (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans), Stefanie Hiesinger (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans) and European Construction Industry Federation

25 Jun 2020 · Implementation of the European Green Deal for the construction industry

Meeting with Ana Carla Pereira (Cabinet of Commissioner Nicolas Schmit) and EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION and

15 Jun 2020 · European trade unions’ call for swift action on worker involvement rights

Meeting with Diederik Samsom (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

4 May 2020 · Impact of the current covid-19 crisis on the implementation of the European Green Deal

Building workers' union urges mandatory asbestos removal strategy

3 Mar 2020
Topic — EU policy initiative aimed at reducing cancer incidence through prevention and coordination.
Message — The EFBWW wants a strategy for safe asbestos removal and a review of worker protection laws. They also propose turning the list of occupational diseases into a binding directive.123
Why — These measures would significantly lower cancer risks for workers during upcoming building renovations.4
Impact — Property owners would face higher costs for the professional identification and removal of asbestos.5
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Meeting with Joost Korte (Director-General Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) and EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION and

17 Sept 2018 · Key note speaker at the conference "European congress on cross-border social security Quo Vadis?"

Meeting with Ruth Paserman (Cabinet of Commissioner Marianne Thyssen), Ruth Paserman (Cabinet of Commissioner Marianne Thyssen) and

10 Jan 2017 · Service Package

Meeting with Agnieszka Drzewoska (Cabinet of Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska), Rolf Carsten Bermig (Cabinet of Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska) and

10 Jan 2017 · Services Package

Meeting with Juho Romakkaniemi (Cabinet of Vice-President Jyrki Katainen) and EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION and UNI Europa

10 Jan 2017 · Services package

Meeting with Inge Bernaerts (Cabinet of Commissioner Marianne Thyssen), Ruth Paserman (Cabinet of Commissioner Marianne Thyssen) and European Construction Industry Federation

5 Sept 2016 · Services Passport

Meeting with Marianne Thyssen (Commissioner) and

17 Apr 2015 · Labour mobility and social protection in the EU construction sector

Meeting with Inge Bernaerts (Cabinet of Commissioner Marianne Thyssen) and European Construction Industry Federation

8 Jan 2015 · Labour mobility