In the Kyoto Protocol, governments of the industrialised countries agreed to reduce the total 1990 level of CO2 emissions by 5.2% between 2008 and 2012 thus increasing pressure on governments to establish CO2-reducing strategies. New housing production in the EU is 1.9 million units per year, or approximately 1% of the building stock. Dwellings yet to be built will constitute 15% of the total housing stock in 2020 and 5-10% of the total housing stock in the Kyoto period 2008-2012 [1]. Consequently, the existing housing stock is an important sector in reducing green house gas emissions according to the Kyoto agreements. In the Netherlands, a 3.6 Mton CO2 reduction could be achieved from existing housing if an average investment of ¿ 2,300 per dwelling was made and the energy tax was increased 2.5 times to shorten the pay-back time [2]. The environment, however, continues to play a small part in renewal projects [3].@en

Research motivation ¿ New housing production in the EU accounts for 1.9 billion units per year that is 1% of the total building stock. ¿ Dwellings to be built will constitute 5-10% of the total housing stock in Kyoto period 2008-2012. ¿ In the Netherlands, 3.6 Mton CO2 reduction possible in the existing housing with an average 2,300 ¿ investment per dwelling. ¿ Making adequate policies requires awareness of practical potential and barriers.@en

Although progressive government guidelines and knowledge about sustainable housing exist, progress in implementing them in practice has been slow. The perceived costs and the lack of market demand have been identified as the main barriers. A choice of fiscal instruments is essential in sustainable housing policies. This article presents an analysis of economic measures currently used to support sustainable housing in the EU and the accession countries, indicating the areas where policy instruments are either focused or lacking. Based on the country progress reports of the Third European Ministers Conference on Sustainable Housing in Belgium in 2002, the results indicate that environmental taxes and subsidies are used in the EU and the accession countries, but that they have had a low impact on the housing sector. An examination of the developments since 1996 shows that apart from energy initiatives resulting from the Kyoto Protocol, the lack of a strong driving force has kept progress slow. Conclusions are based on the analysis findings ¿ the low impact of taxation on housing, the lack of environmental criteria in the reduced VAT rate and the narrow focus of subsidies. This article argues that enlargement of the EU presents opportunities for sustainable housing in Europe, if the fiscal instruments are enforced by legal means. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.@en

What is the environmental potential of the existing housing stock in the EU and the accession countries? How prepared are the countries to face the challenge of the existing housing stock? This article describes policies and policy instruments currently used to encourage sustainable renovation in Europe based on the national progress reports of the 3rd European Ministers conference on sustainable housing in Belgium in 2002. The research shows that policies and policy instruments focus on new construction. Sustainable renovation is encouraged, but not enforced: legislation applies to new construction and fiscal measures do not address environmental objectives in particular. An examination of policies since 1996 shows that, apart from the initiatives resulting from the Kyoto Protocol, the lack of a strong driving force has kept policy developments moderate. This article argues that current policies and policy instruments are not effective enough to take advantage of the environmental potential of the existing stock either in the EU or accession countries. Different strategies for the forefront, platoon and laggard countries are suggested.@en

Although progressive government guidelines and awareness of sustainable issues exists, progress in sustainable management in the social housing sector has been slow. A market research survey and analysis of the sustainable housing management by Dutch housing associations indicates the areas and organizations where policies, instruments and practices are focussed or lacking. Longitudinal trends are established using further surveys from 1993, 1998 and 2000 as well as comparing national strategies from five European Union countries (the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, France and Finland). Results indicate that efforts in sustainable management are misplaced with emphasis on procuring new buildings, not on operation and maintenance. Several barriers at the policy and strategy level are identified, especially the perceived costs of implementing environmental management, the lack of market demand and the poor capture of benefits. Special recommendations for government, housing associations and occupants are based on the findings - widening the focus of issues on sustainability, emphasizing the existing building stock, increasing the use of voluntary agreements, recognizing different capabilities in scale of housing associations and creating market demand. Bien qu'il existe des directives gouvernementales progressives et que l'on soit conscient des questions de durabilité, le progrès en matière de gestion durable au sein du secteur du logement social a été assez lent. Une analyse et une étude de marché portant sur la gestion du logement durable menées par des associations hollandaises pour le logement indiquent les domaines et les organisations où les principes, les instructions et les pratiques sont limités ou absents. Des tendances longitudinales se dégagent sur la base d'autres études menées en 1993, 1998 et 2000 et qui comparent les stratégies nationales de cinq pays de l'Union Européenne (Pays-Bas, Allemagne, Royaume-Uni, France et Finlande). Les résultats montrent que les efforts en matière de gestion durable sont mal orientés, l'accent étant mis sur la fourniture de bâtiments nouveaux et non sur leur exploitation et leur maintenance. L'article recense plusieurs obstacles aux niveaux politique et stratégique, notamment en ce qui concerne les coûts perçus de la mise en ¿uvre d'une gestion de l'environnement, le manque de demande du marché et la capture médiocre des bénéfices. Des recommandations particulières à l'attention du gouvernement, des associations pour le logement, des occupants reposent sur ces conclusions-; il faudrait notamment élargir le c¿ur des problèmes à la durabilité, mettre l¿accent sur le parc immobilier existant, avoir recours davantage à des accords volontaires, reconnaître les différentes capacités parmi les associations pour le logement et susciter la demande du marché.@en

Although progressive government guidelines and knowledge about sustainable building exist, sustainability measures are not adopted in large scale. Several barriers have been identified, especially the perceived costs of implementing environmental management and the lack of market demand. The choice of fiscal instruments is an important issue in sustainable building policies. This paper presents an analysis of economic measures that are currently used to support sustainable building in the European Union and accession countries, indicating the areas where policy instruments are either focussed or lacking. The research is based on the national progress reports of the 3rd European Ministers conference on sustainable housing in 2002. The results indicate that environmental taxes and subsidies are used in the EU and the accession countries, but that they have had a low impact on the building sector. An examination of the developments since 1996 shows that apart from energy initiatives resulting from the Kyoto Protocol, the lack of a strong driving force has kept progress slow. Conclusions are based on the analysis findings ¿ the low impact of taxation on building and the narrow focus of subsidies. Finally, possibilities to benefit European experiences in the Australian context are discussed.@en