The EU Proposal: New Harmonized Standards for placing Construction Products on the Market is published. This is a short summary of the content of the proposal. You can also find a link to the full draft.
On March 30, 2022, the European Parliament and the Council published the proposal for new harmonized standards for marketing construction products. These standards should replace Regulation (EU) 305/2011, the CPR.
At the same time, the new harmonized standards should amend Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 on market surveillance and compliance of products.
What is the CPR?
Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 (the ‘Construction Products Regulation’ or CPR) lays down harmonised conditions for the marketing of construction products. In doing so, the CPR ensures that the single market runs effectively and that construction materials are freely moved throughout the EU. It does so through harmonized technical requirements, which establish a common technical language for testing and communicating building product performance.
What Are The Reasons For This Proposal?
In their 2016 implementation report on the CPR, the Commission found some flaws in its implementation. Furthermore, it identified plenty of other issues, including standardization, micro-enterprise simplicity, market surveillance, and enforcement. All of these deserve additional investigation and discussion. The shortcomings of the framework hinder the functioning of the single market for construction products, and therefore they fail to achieve the CPR’s objectives.
Additionally, there is a need to improve the functioning of the still fragmented single market for construction items in order to realize the potential for growth and jobs. The CPR’s participation in efforts toward energy- and resource-efficient structures and renovations (as well as addressing the sustainability of construction materials), was emphasized in the European Green Deal Communication, the Circular Economy Action Plan, and the Renovation Wave Communication.
Also, The proposal for a revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive stressed the need of calculating the Global Warming Potential of new structures as of 2030, using life cycle GHG emissions from buildings and building materials. GHG stands for Greenhouse Gas.
What are the main objectives of this proposal?
As a result, the CPR revision’s two main goals are:
- 1. to create a well-functioning single market for construction products and
- 2. to contribute to the green and digital transition’s goals, especially the contemporary, resource-efficient, and competitive economy.
The proposal is part of the Regulatory Fitness Programme (REFIT). It matches with the REFIT program’s goals of making EU rules clearer, more focused, and easier to comply with. There are 4 main problems identified and this proposal aims to tackle them:
- 1. Single market for construction products is not achieved.
- 2. There are implementation challenges at a national level.
- 3. Complexity of the legal framework/simplification is not achieved.
- 4. The CPR is unable to deliver on broader policy priorities, such as the green and digital transition, and product safety.
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