Euralarm is one of the co-signers of the Manifesto Keeping EU Citizens Fire Safe in all buildings. The undersigned organizations, representing the European fire safety sector, call for the European institutions to prioritize fire safety in buildings and to develop and promote a consistent strategy with Member States for the fire safety of all people who live and work in buildings.
In 2024, almost 450 million citizens from across the European Union will have the opportunity to elect their representatives to the European Parliament and shape the agenda for the rest of the decade. These EU citizens spend 90% of their time in buildings, at home, at work, or for other activities, in their home country or in other EU Member States in which they freely travel for work, studies, or tourism. They expect an equal level of fire safety in any European building.
Level of protection and safety
Undersigned organizations assume that the European Union must play a vital coordinating role
The undersigned organizations believe that the European Union must play an important coordinating role in fire safety as it impacts and is impacted by several of its core objectives.
The free movement of EU citizens is one of the fundamental EU freedoms. Every person, whether they are a resident, a tourist, or an Erasmus student, deserves and expects a consistent level of protection and safety wherever they might be within our borders.
EU’s involvement
Moreover, in striving to meet the objectives of the EU Green Deal, the European Union needs to properly address the emerging safety risks linked to electrification solutions and other modifications of the built environment. This is needed to avoid slowing down the deployment of innovative decarbonization and sustainability solutions in EU buildings.
The EU’s involvement in the field of fire safety is also deeply interwoven with principles surrounding the Single Market. The European Union has a responsibility to ensure that products within this market are not only efficient and affordable but also safe. Overseeing product safety and market surveillance is a significant facet of the EU’s role.
Challenges across Member States
The undersigning parties believe that action on fire safety in buildings goes beyond building codes
Furthermore, through the collation of data, shared research, and exchange of experience, the EU offers a unique perspective that will enrich and strengthen the development of knowledge in the field of fire safety and help address common challenges across Member States.
The co-signatories do not want to challenge the principle of subsidiarity in the domain of building codes: Member States should therefore remain free to design their fire safety regulations by considering the local specificities in terms of building design solutions, materials, use patterns, and climate. However, the undersigning parties believe that action on fire safety in buildings goes beyond building codes.
Euralarm website
The European Union can support Member States by having a coordinating role in fire safety to realize its objectives related to its shared and supporting competencies in the fields of tourism, energy, environment, human health, and consumer protection.
The Manifesto Keeping EU Citizens Fire Safe in all buildings can be downloaded from the Euralarm website. The Manifesto is undersigned by Euralarm, ANEC, BSEF, CoGDEM, Concrete Europe, EAPFP, Eurolux, Europacable, European Fire Safety Alliance, European Fire Sprinkler Network, Eusas, FEEDS, Fire Safe Europe, IWMA, Modern Building Alliance, Pinfa, RICS and SFPE.
