Accelerating the development of timber construction to rapidly increase the supply of housing and address Europe’s housing crisis. This is the appeal launched by Cei-Bois, which has submitted its contribution to the European Commission’s consultation on the future “Affordable Housing Act”.
At the core of the organisation’s position is a clear priority: increasing the availability of housing. According to Cei-Bois, the lack of supply is the main driver of the housing crisis, and any European-level intervention should start from this premise, while balancing environmental sustainability and industrial competitiveness.
The consultation launched in Brussels focuses on the role of public authorities in addressing housing pressure, including in contexts where short-term rental markets contribute to reducing available supply. The aim is to identify tools capable of acting both in the short term and at a structural level.
In this context, the wood industry is proposing a shift based on industrialised construction methods and greater use of timber. This solution, Cei-Bois argues, would make it possible to accelerate the delivery of affordable housing while maintaining quality, and at the same time contribute to the European Union’s climate objectives.
However, action on the regulatory framework remains necessary. The organisation highlights the urgency of clearer European guidelines and a regulatory system capable of overcoming current financial and technical barriers. In particular, it stresses the need to make authorisation procedures more streamlined, update and harmonise building codes, adapt construction product standards, and adopt scientific criteria for sustainability assessment.
Another key aspect concerns the circular economy: for the sector, the renewability of materials must be recognised as being as important as recyclability within European policies.
Finally, Cei-Bois states it is ready to cooperate with the European Commission by providing concrete and scalable solutions to increase the use of wood in the construction of affordable housing across Europe, thus contributing to the increasingly urgent debate on housing, ecological transition and urban development.
