Land and buildings and those who invest in and value them are now EU centre-stage: free circulation of capital means freedom to invest in real estate anywhere without hindrance; freedom to provide services means that property professionals can offer, and investors seek, services anywhere they want. Property has been caught up in the rise of environmental and energy efficiency issues and their passage from national to EU level. In response to the crisis, financial market reform and Banking Union have focused strongly on real estate, for instance on valuation of mortgage lending collateral.

Over twenty years, MacBrien Cuper Isnard has helped its clients reach the highest levels of achievement in the EU policy debate, the results of their efforts often becoming acquis communautaire, part of the body of EU law.

Under our clients' instruction we either set up federations from scratch or reorganised them, enabling them to work with the European authorities. We conceived, planned, coordinated and led interventions in the European Commission, Council of Ministers, the European Parliament and EU advisory bodies on:

Accession of new member states to the Union

• Freedom to invest in real estate in these countries without obstacle

EU Regulation

• Retail services (shopping centre development)
• Insurance mediation (landlord service charges)
• VAT (property tax exemptions and reduced rates)
• Mortgage credit (valuation provisions)
• Construction (EU competitiveness strategy)
• New and existing lifts
• Social affairs (equal treatment for access of the disabled to buildings)
• Energy efficiency of buildings
  • Near-zero energy new build
  • Energy performance renovation: Renovation triggers and requirements; Methodology for calculating cost-optimal levels of minimum energy performance requirements
  • Energy performance certificates: EU requirements for national EPCs; Common EU EPCs for non-residential buildings
  • Energy audits
  • Metering and billing
  • EU funding for energy efficiency in housing
• Environment
  • Drinking water (lead pipes in buildings)
  • Environmental impact assessment
  • Environmental liability for contaminated sites
  • Soil protection
  • EU ecolabel for buildings
  • Water performance of buildings
  • Resource efficiency in the building sector

State Aid

• State aid to social housing companies competing with private landlords for middle income tenants

EU Economic Governance

• Liberalisation of rent regulation
• Planning law reform