PROGRAM: Thursday November 21st

4a. Webinar: Overcoming the challenges with the fire safety of BEVs in Covered Car Parks: Guidelines and Best Practices | Online 10h00 - 11h30 (CET)

The rapid growth of EVs in Europe, driven by EU legislative frameworks, demands comprehensive fire safety guidelines for covered parking lots. This webinar will present existing and upcoming EU legislations governing the fire safety of EVs and recharging infrastructure in covered parking areas along with the challenges and best practices.

Key Themes:

1. Presentation of the STF TF6 Guidelines on Fire Safety
– Set the stage by presenting the fire safety guideline document drafted by the STF TF6.
– Highlight the significance of fire safety in covered parking lots.

2. Key challenges related to fire safety in covered parking lots for BEVs
– Delve into the technical, organisational, and structural challenges associated with accommodating EVs in the covered parking lots.
– Debunking myths about the EV fires.

3. Policy and Regulatory Frameworks
– Address the importance of supportive policies and regulations that ensure the fire safety of covered parking lots.
– Discuss successful policy implementations at the EU and Member State levels.

4. Good practices and lessons learned
– Present good practices and lessons learned to facilitate the deployment of EVs in covered parking lots while maintaining high fire safety standards.
– Recommend fire safety measures for the Member States and private stakeholders.

5. Q&A Session
– Engage with the audience by inviting questions and comments.
– Encourage dialogue on future considerations to ensure the continued safe deployment of EVs in covered parking areas.

Speakers
● Aleksandra Klenke – European Commission DG MOVE
● Heiki Vaananen – European Commission DG GROW
● Raphael Héliot – AVERE
● Eugenio Quintieri – FSEU

4b. High-level political discussion with key policy makers in the EP | In-person meeting (Brussels) from 16h00-18h00 (CET)

Due to the limited number of seats, participation is by invitation only.

Fire safety priorities for 2024-2029 at the EU level - taking care of the most vulnerable

While fire safety of buildings is a national competence, it is impacted by and impacts many EU policies and initiatives, especially those related to ongoing energy transition but also: tourism, environment, human health or consumer protection. That is why EU institutions can and have a strategic interest to facilitate improvements in fire safety through specific projects and activities as well as to coordinate action with Member States to ensure the fire safety risk is not hindering the objectives of the EU policies.

Recent years have resulted in rising fire safety awareness among decision makers and in intensification of discussions, initiatives and activities aimed in putting fire safety higher at the EU agenda to improve fire safety across the EU and better contribute to the implementation of the European Fire Safety Action Plan.

The new term of the European Parliament and the European Commission encourages the development of agreed actions which should be taken by the EU institutions to improve fire safety in Europe.

The main theme of this year’s EUFSW is fire safety of the most vulnerable groups, which has been identified and proven by data and scientific research as one of the biggest fire safety challenges we will have to face in the EU in the coming years. It is a critical time to address this challenge as with the energy transition and new construction methods, the issue will continue to grow.

Solving this problem requires taking intensive action, first and foremost on the national level, but due to the wide-pread prevalence of this problem, EU support would be very helpful. EU institutions could develop, coordinate and support solutions which next could be implemented by MSs.