CAPEB calls for further progress on assisted energy renovation work to combat public aid fraud

On the other hand, it deplores that this text intended to combat fraud maintains the possibility for opportunistic commercial companies to operate in these subsidized markets thanks to the possibility granted to subcontract work to RGE-qualified construction companies and then by obtaining a qualification from 2027. It considers that this is a major flaw that will maintain the numerous frauds on the part of these intermediary companies and will weaken construction craftsmen while sowing confusion with regard to RGE qualification. The CAPEB calls for an implementing decree that is as firm as possible and allows for the exclusion of commercial companies not involved in the construction industry, which are a source of discredit for the entire system and harm the already very fragile activity of virtuous companies. Clear, fair and protective rules for quality renovations are essential.

While the bill aimed at combating public aid fraud has just been definitively adopted by Parliament, the CAPEB welcomes certain advances included in this text.

Limiting the number of subcontracting levels to two for all types of housing, whether individual or collective, is a significant victory. It follows CAPEB's ongoing efforts over several years to combat the abuses of cascading subcontracting. This is a hard-won achievement, notably thanks to the commitment of numerous MPs and Senators, including MP Jean-Pierre Vigier, whom we applaud.

But this measure cannot mask a profound inadequacy that the CAPEB deplores: the possibility for commercial companies not from the construction sector to continue their activity on the market and then, from 2027, the simple obligation to obtain an RGE-type quality mark according to terms that will be defined by decree. This is a major flaw in the system. By refusing to prohibit commercial companies acting as intermediaries between individuals and qualified construction companies, the legislator is allowing the abuse and fraud of opportunistic commercial companies to continue, which fuel the distrust of individuals, undermine the credibility of public systems and relegate qualified RGE craftsmen to mere invisible executors.

For the CAPEB and the thousands of building tradespeople committed to quality, proximity, and transparency, this text does not provide sufficient guarantees to permanently curb fraudulent practices. It perpetuates a model in which genuine professionals are sidelined in favor of opportunistic actors, often far removed from the field, and motivated above all by commercial logic.

All of this is detrimental to the activity of craft construction companies and contributes to slowing down the adaptation of housing to climate change and loss of autonomy, whereas, on the contrary, everything should be done to promote its large-scale development given the scale of the needs.

For Jean-Christophe Repon, President of CAPEB: "This text represents a major step forward in regulating cascading subcontracting in the construction industry, a practice that CAPEB has been fighting against for years. However, I call on the Government to demonstrate firmness and consistency in drafting the implementing decrees concerning access to subsidized markets for opportunistic commercial companies by strictly conditioning the obtaining of the quality mark only to truly competent companies, established in the local economic fabric, and respecting the rules of the trade. Craftsmen are not asking for privileges, but for clarity, fairness, and full recognition of their role in our country's energy transition. They can count on CAPEB's determination to continue this essential fight."

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.