Julien Bouyeron, Secretary General of the European Council of Shopping Places (ECSP), was one of the speakers at the Spanish Congress of Shopping Centres and Retail Parks. The Association is involved with the European Commission in regulations affecting retail real estate, such as those relating to energy efficiency and equality between omnichannel retailers and online platforms.
How are you working with the European Union to try to minimize the impact of the tariffs imposed by the United States on EU countries?
Julien Bouyeron: Our sector is concerned with the impact that tariffs can have on consumer goods more broadly, since they affect prices, consumption, and ultimately shopping centres as places of commerce. However, lobbying actions in this area are very complex and go far beyond retail real estate specificaly. We therefore monitored developments closely, while leaving the lead on this file to the European institutions and sectoral organisations most directly affected.
What other issues are you working on with the European Commission?
J.B: Our work with the European Commission spans a broad range of files that directly affect the retail real estate sector. We are closely engaged on the implementation of Article 14 of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), making sure that new requirements on charging infrastructure and bicycle parking remain proportionate and workable. We are also focused on creating a level playing field between omnichanel retailers and online platforms such as Temu and Shein, which requires strong enforcement of the Digital Services Act, customs checks, and fair VAT collection.
In addition, we are working on new rules for security in publicly accessible spaces under the ProtectEU initiative. We are also active on EU initiatives to cut red tape under the so-called “omnibus” simplification files like Omnibus 1 and 2 on CSRD and CSDDD.
What are your forecasts for inflation, growth and consumption volume at European level?
J.B: Our working assumption is that inflation will continue easing, though it may remain slightly above target in some markets, particularly in energy and services. Growth is expected to remain modest, around 1% at EU level, with strong divergences across countries.
How could we move towards an even more unified European market for the benefit of consumers?
J.B: A truly unified market means addressing the uneven playing field between shopping centres/omnichannel retailers on the one hand, and global online marketplaces on the other. Stronger customs checks and market surveillance are essential to ensure that all actors, offline and online, comply with the same rules on product safety, sustainability, and consumer protection.
Apart from creating a level playing field with online marketplaces, two other actions would make a real difference for shopping centres and consumers. One is encourage sustainable investment. The sector is committed to decarbonisation, but the current EU framework (taxonomy, CSRD, energy reporting) is often too complex and not adapted to retail real estate. Clearer, proportionate sustainability rules would help attract green financing into refurbishment and regeneration projects without overburdening operators.
Other is simplify permits Shopping centres are constantly evolving, through refurbishments, adding mixed-use elements, or hosting events. Yet permitting processes remain lengthy, fragmented, and paper-heavy across Europe. Moving towards faster, digital-by-default and mutually recognised permitting would cut red tape, accelerate innovation, and deliver benefits to consumers more quickly.
European retailers and retail property owners often face significant compliance costs linked to environmental, product safety, and labour regulations
What difficulties arise when competing with other markets with less stringent regulations?
J.B: European retailers and retail property owners often face significant compliance costs linked to environmental, product safety, and labour regulations. These standards are important but create an uneven playngfield when products imported from third countries do not meet equivalent requirements. In particular, the surge of small parcel imports has revealed gaps in customs checks, with unsafe or non-compliant goods entering the EU too easily. Furthermore, the limited liability imposed on online marketplaces allows them to operate under different conditions than omnichannel retailers. We therefore call for stronger responsibility for onlien marketplaces and the removal of loopholes such as de minimis exemptions.
Does the Spanish shopping centres market have any particular strengths or challenges compared to other European countries?
J.B: The Spanish market benefits from strong fundamentals. It is large, dynamic, and reinforced by tourism flows that generate high footfall. Spain also has a robust pipeline of refurbishment and regeneration projects. The Spanish Council AECC, our Spanish member association, is also highly developed and internationally connected and provides great support to the sector and ensures it has visibility in the public sphere. At the same time, there are challenges. Permitting processes can be lengthy and vary widely across regions, adding complexity for investors. Competition from e-commerce remains strong and shopping centres are not operating ona level playing field with online marketplaces like Amazon, Temu or Shein for instance.