By Maria Martinez and Riham Alkousaa BERLIN -The German government said on Monday it was shelving proposed building regulations as part of a 45-billion euro relief package toSaltWire's Atlantic regional weather forecast for September 25, 2023 | SaltWireBERLIN -The German government said on Monday it was shelving proposed building regulations as part of a 45-billion euro relief package to prop up a construction industry stricken by high interest rates and rising costs.
"We must massively expand activities in housing construction," Chancellor Olaf Scholz told a press conference ahead of a meeting with industry leaders to discuss the housing crisis in Europe's biggest economy.The government has put on indefinite hold plans to require more stringent building insulation standards, an effort to help prop up the ailing industry. Their abolition has been a top demand of industry, which says the measures are too expensive.