How can reliable building-stock data help countries turn European policy requirements into practical renovation strategies?
This question brought together policymakers, researchers and EU-funded initiatives at Data-ready for 2027: Supporting National Building Renovation Plans with EU-funded Solutions and the EU Building Stock Observatory, held in Brussels on 7 October 2026.
The event recordings are now available on the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy (DG ENER) YouTube channel, making the discussions accessible to a wider audience beyond those who attended in person.
For OBSERVE, the recordings offer an opportunity to revisit an important part of the conversation: strengthening national building-stock databases and data governance so that information can better support renovation planning, monitoring and policy implementation.
From European requirements to practical implementation
The event brought together the EU Building Stock Observatory (EU BSO), OBSERVE and several sister initiatives to explore how European guidance, national priorities, building data and digital tools can support the implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).
The discussions addressed the practical challenges facing Member States as they prepare National Building Renovation Plans and strengthen the data systems needed to monitor progress.
Rather than treating these challenges separately, the event connected policy perspectives with implementation experience and the tools, methodologies and services developed by EU-funded projects.
Why building-stock data and governance matter
OBSERVE contributed to the session on building data for planning, monitoring and financing. In this session, Francesca Pagliaro, Senior Researcher at ENEA and OBSERVE partner, presented on strengthening national building-stock databases and data governance.
Reliable building-stock information is essential for understanding the condition and performance of buildings, identifying information gaps and supporting evidence-based renovation decisions. However, making that information useful requires more than collecting data. It also depends on how data are organised, managed and made available to the institutions and stakeholders that need them.
Through its work on National Building Stock Observatories (nBSOs) across six pilot countries, OBSERVE is examining national data ecosystems and supporting approaches that can help improve the availability, consistency and use of building-related information.
The event provided a wider policy and implementation context for these efforts, connecting national data challenges with the broader objective of supporting building renovation across Europe.
Watch the recordings and explore the discussions
The three recordings are available on DG ENER’s YouTube channel. Together, they cover policy and national implementation priorities, building data for planning and monitoring, and digital assessment tools for renovation delivery.
Part 1: EPBD implementation and National Building Renovation Plans
Explore the policy context, national priorities and implementation challenges.
Watch Part 1 on YouTube
Part 2: Building data for planning, monitoring and financing
Revisit the discussions most closely connected to OBSERVE’s contribution on building-stock databases and data governance.
Watch Part 2 on YouTube
Part 3: Digital assessment tools and renovation delivery
Discover how building assessment tools and digital workflows can support renovation planning and delivery.
Watch Part 3 on YouTube
The recordings include chapters to help viewers navigate the discussions. The full event programme and published presentations are also available through the official European Commission event page.
Keeping the exchange going
Making these discussions available is a step towards extending their value beyond a single event. Member State representatives, public authorities, building-data specialists and other implementation stakeholders can revisit the contributions, explore relevant tools and identify opportunities for further exchange.
For OBSERVE, this continued knowledge sharing complements the project’s work to strengthen national approaches to building-stock data and support the development of National Building Stock Observatories.
As the project progresses through its final year, connecting research, policy and practical implementation remains important to ensuring that its results can be understood, transferred and used beyond the project itself.
👉 Explore the recordings and discover how OBSERVE and its sister initiatives are supporting the implementation of the EPBD.
Useful links
- OBSERVE project website
- Official event page and presentations
- Part 1: EPBD implementation and National Building Renovation Plans
- Part 2: Building data for planning, monitoring and financing
- Part 3: Digital assessment tools and renovation delivery
OBSERVE is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
