(fra kommisjonsforordningen)

(1) Pursuant to Article 7(2) of Directive (EU) 2024/1275, Member States are to ensure that the life-cycle global warming potential (GWP) is calculated and disclosed in the energy performance certificate of new buildings in accordance with Annex III to that Directive. Member States may decide to exclude from the obligation to calculate the life-cycle GWP the categories of buildings which they exclude from the obligation to have an energy performance certificate pursuant to Article 20(6) of that Directive. 

(2) A harmonised Union framework for the national calculation of life-cycle GWP is necessary for the building sector to promote comparability of life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions across the Union, thereby facilitating the assessment of the climate impact of different building-related products and activities. 

(3) A Union framework for the national calculation of life-cycle GWP should provide a common methodology and set of rules, enabling Member States to calculate life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions in a consistent and transparent manner, with a view to the disclosure of the results in the energy performance certificate of the building. In combination with the declaration of the life-cycle climate change effects of construction products under Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 and Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 (the applicable regulation depends on the construction product in question), the Union framework supports the creation of lead markets for low-carbon products which reduce the whole life-cycle emissions of buildings. The lack of such a Union framework may lead to inconsistencies and unequal treatment of economic operators, undermining the effectiveness and coherence of Union climate policies. 

(4) To ensure a level playing field and facilitate the transition to a unified approach, it is necessary to lay down a uniform framework that establishes common principles for existing national tools or methods established prior to the adoption of Directive (EU) 2024/1275 and tools or methods that would be developed in the future. 

(5) The Union framework should offer some level of adaptability, allowing Member States to integrate their existing official national tools or methods into the new unified approach, while ensuring that the overall framework remains consistent and promotes the comparability of results across the Union. 

(6) The Union framework for life-cycle GWP assessment should be built upon internationally recognised standards and methodologies, in particular EN 15978 (EN 15978:2011 Sustainability of construction works. Assessment of environmental performance of buildings. Calculation method) and take into account any subsequent standard relating to the sustainability of construction works and the calculation method for the assessment of environmental performance of buildings, while promoting carbon storage in or on buildings, long-lasting construction and circular economy in construction including the reuse and recycling of materials and design-fordisassembly. The Union framework should also consider existing initiatives, including Level(s) common EU framework for indicator 1.2 and official national frameworks, to ensure a high level of environmental protection and consistency with existing national tools and methods and global efforts to address climate change. 

(7) The Union framework should establish a uniform scope of building elements and technical equipment, which minimises market barriers between Member States and facilitates the understanding and comparison of results, while also enabling the identification of sources of emission. A balanced level of detail in the uniform scope of building elements and technical equipment is necessary to achieve accurate and comparable outcomes, as excessive generality or varying levels of detail could lead to inconsistent approaches and unfair perceptions of the environmental impact of different projects and solutions. 

(8) To effectively reduce whole-life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions, life-cycle GWP should be calculated or estimated already at the design stage, before the building’s construction is started, when changes to the building design can still be made. 

(9) The results disclosed in the energy performance certificate should reflect the as-built stage, to ensure that the actual greenhouse gas emissions of the completed building are accurately accounted for. 

(10) To ensure accuracy and consistency in life-cycle GWP calculations, the useful floor area used in the calculations should be clearly defined, thereby avoiding the potential for low-impact areas to artificially reduce the building’s overall life-cycle GWP result. The Union framework should therefore require transparency on the floor areas used in the calculation by requiring national rules taking into account internationally recognised standards, while allowing Member States some flexibility to define the useful floor area at national level. 

(11) To ensure the accuracy and reliability of the life-cycle GWP calculation, a clear hierarchy of the input data based on their quality and precision should be established. The life-cycle GWP calculation should prioritise the use of data issued under relevant Union legal acts, including Regulation (EU) 2024/3110, which lays down harmonised rules for the marketing of construction products. 

(12) In the outermost regions, within the meaning of Article 349 TFEU, Member States may consider simplifying the building’s life-cycle GWP calculation by allowing an extended use of default data in those regions, to take into account the possibility for exemption recognised by Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 applicable to construction products placed on the market in the outermost regions. 

(13) The life-cycle GWP of the building disclosed in the energy performance certificate should be reported in a transparent format, showing results at least for each life-cycle stage. For other purposes including control and verification and data collection for setting and updating limit values at national level, Member States are encouraged to collect more detailed information on a building’s life-cycle GWP. 

(14) Directive (EU) 2024/1275 should therefore be amended accordingly,