The European Commission will propose mandatory minimum standards on the energy performance of buildings in Europe, with a view to reducing pollutant emissions and creating jobs in the renovation sector, according to a draft document consulted by Reuters.

The EU executive has made its “Renovation Wave” strategy, which is due to be published on Wednesday, a priority in its plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero in the EU bloc by 2050, according to Agerpres.

High energy buildings, many of which are heated with fossil fuels, are responsible for more than a third of the European Union’s CO2 emissions and also for 40% of the Community’ s energy consumption. Most of the current buildings will be used in 2050, which means they could undermine the EU’s goals if they are not upgraded.

“The goal is to at least double the annual rate of energy renovation of residential and non-residential buildings by 2030,” the draft document consulted by Reuters said.

Currently, about 11% of existing buildings in the EU are renovated every year. However, most renovation works do not target the energy performance of buildings and, at EU level, the energy renovation rate has remained blocked at 1%.

The EU executive would propose these standards next year, at the end of an analysis that will allow it to decide when they will come into force and what level of energy savings each building must achieve.