Maliouris (TBE): "Ready to exploit the recovery"

The construction sector still faces a difficult situation in the market, particularly in some countries. We asked Yiannis Meliouris, President of TBE, the European tile and brick manufacturers' federation, how the sector is confronting the crisis and what opportunities there are for the future.

"Europe's structural crisis is changing the profile of the sector significantly", Meliouris told us. "Indeed, the economic situation remains difficult - in several countries we have lost over 50% of the production volumes.

"The lack of investment in the construction sector prevents the necessary retrofit of the existing building stock and is leading to a housing shortage compared to the needs of the population in some countries. For this reason, we call on European and national authorities to implement extraordinary measures to support the relaunch of the housing sector as quickly as possible, with a particular focus on affordable social housing, renovation and rebuilding.

"In this context, I am convinced that the sector is well-placed to match the upcoming opportunities, thanks to greater attention to the added value of the products and the industry's focus on the needs of the market with regard to sustainability, energy efficiency, acoustics, etc. This is possible if the sector as a whole communicates these positive elements more effectively to the downstream players in the value chain, such as architects, planners and constructors."

Read online the full interview published on Brick World Review 1/2015 or download the pdf version.