Proud of its action on continuing education and “Embuild’s ever-deepening roots in the German-speaking Community”the now former president handed over to Astrid Convents (Convents SA, Eupen), who was until now vice-president of Embuild Verviers-Ostbelgien. The latter insisted, at a press conference, on the role of “engine of the economy” represented by the construction sector. A sector which “shows signs of weakness” with, in 2025, the prospect “a further decline in construction activity of 0.5%”.
What are the challenges of the coming years?
The reasons are multiple, so many battles to fight. “We think of construction costs, impacted by the price of materials, salaries and various taxes (such as the energy performance of buildings, for example) or even credits which have become less accessible. But there remain sub-sectors construction companies who have full order books. The problem is new construction and renovations.she explained.
Access to housing is, in fact, reduced. According to a study commissioned by Embuild, “82% of Belgians want to become owners… But three quarters of these people say that the current prices of land and buildings, as well as the purchase prices of housing, are a barrier for them”. Faced with this, Embuild will insist on “that the reduced VAT rate of 6% for demolition and reconstruction work on old housing be generalized and made permanent”.
In addition, energy efficiency is also a challenge, “Without tax breaks and financial incentives, the goals to become carbon neutral by 2050 are out of reach”. Astrid Convents spoke of the labor shortage and the necessary bridges with schools and training centers, while wishing for an intensification of retraining programs. And if digitalization, “mainly artificial intelligence” (plans, project monitoring, optimization, etc.), will continue, Astrid Convents (first woman in this “Verviétois” position) also hopes to promote the feminization of the sector… which only has 1.2% women among qualified workers ( “coming from afar”the share of women has increased by 22% in five years in the construction sector, but mainly in administrative and technical positions).
“The sector remains a central pillar of the economy”insists the new president who counts “energize the bodies, increase the association’s notoriety (by attracting new members, particularly young businesses) and listen to members”.
