CEPI - European Council of Real Estate Professions

There is an ongoing debate about regulation or deregulation in the EU which is both political and economic in context. To follow this debate it is important to look both at the reasons behind the regulation of professional services and behind arguments for their deregulation.

Eurostat published on 11 July information on recent house price developments in the EU Member States. In the first quarter of 2013 compared with the first quarter of 2012 house prices were down by 2.2% in the euro area and 1.4% in the EU as a whole.

The European Commission is preparing a Communication on Sustainable Buildings for the beginning of 2014. In order to gather views and additional information on the possible introduction of EU wide measures to achieve better environmental performance of buildings it has published a public consultation. The results of the consultation will help the Commission to identify which issues to prioritise in the Communication. The consultation will remain open until 1 October 2013.

This publication analyses factors influencing the development of residential markets and compares residential property prices in European countries and cities.

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) introduced a framework for energy performance certification with energy performance certificates (EPC) now being required for the sale or rent of a building. This is expected to provide an incentive for builders and owners to invest in energy efficient improvements. A study now published by the European Commission looks at the extent to which there is a link between the energy performance of a building and its value.