Timber Housing-Europe’s woodworking industries are urging the European Commission to put timber construction at the heart of its response to the bloc’s housing crisis.

The European Confederation of Woodworking Industries (CEI-Bois) has submitted its response to the European Commission’s consultation on the forthcoming Affordable Housing Act, calling for a structural shift towards industrialised timber construction.

The Brussels-based body argues that Europe’s housing challenge is, above all, a supply problem. In its submission, CEI-Bois says increasing the number of homes available must remain the central pillar of EU action, while also supporting sustainability and industrial competitiveness.

That gives timber construction a clear role in the debate. Rather than being treated as a niche environmental preference, wood-based building systems are being presented as a practical route to faster, better and lower-carbon housing delivery.

“Timber-based construction can support the rapid expansion of affordable and quality housing while contributing to the EU’s climate objectives,” CEI-Bois said.

The organisation is also calling for policy detail to match the ambition. In its response, CEI-Bois highlights the need for clearer EU guidance and stronger regulatory frameworks to help remove financial, regulatory and standardisation barriers still holding back wider adoption.

Its recommendations include more efficient permitting and regulatory procedures, harmonised and modernised building codes, updated construction product standards, and science-based sustainability assessment methods.

CEI-Bois also argues that renewability should be recognised as equally important as recyclability within EU circular economy policy. That distinction matters for wood-based industries, where renewable raw material use, long-term carbon storage and high-value applications in buildings all form part of the sustainability case.

With housing delivery, climate targets and industrial competitiveness now increasingly connected, the CEI-Bois submission adds to the pressure for European policymakers to give timber construction a more central role in future housing policy.

Source: cei-bois.org