According to Edilportale, the European Commission has carried out its first assessment of national building-renovation plans, based on a report drawn up by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and published on 14 July 2026. The review covers the first 16 complete drafts of national building-renovation plans, which set out a reduction in primary energy consumption of up to 73% by 2050, operational emissions cut by more than 90% in almost half of the plans, and greater use of renewable energy sources in buildings.
Of the countries covered, Germany, France, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Sweden went on to submit complete documents and entered the JRC's first evaluation round, Edilportale reports. The JRC report finds an improvement compared with the long-term renovation strategies drawn up in 2020.
The common template introduced by the so-called Case Green Directive, the Direttiva Case Green (Directive (EU) 2024/1275 on the energy performance of buildings), which Italy has not yet transposed despite the deadline of 29 May 2026 having already passed, has made the plans more homogeneous and comparable. Edilportale notes that they still need to be supplemented, above all on data covering the existing building stock and renovations already carried out, on the quantification of policy effects, on measures against energy poverty, on financial planning and on the definition of standards for non-residential buildings.
The overall judgement is positive, but it comes with requests for additional detail on renovation rates, minimum standards for non-residential buildings, the impact of policies, energy poverty and financial coverage. Italy is not among the countries assessed because it has not yet submitted its draft plan. Under the timeline reported by Edilportale, the definitive national renovation plan must be sent to Brussels by 31 December 2026.