In light of the big EU goals to achieve climate neutrality and circular economy objectives, improving buildings efficiency and the sustainability of construction products is a key objective for European regulators. For a more sustainable market, construction products must be designed and manufactured to become more durable, recyclable, repairable, and easier to re-manufacture. Thus, new requirements are necessary for construction products. The European Union’s legal framework for construction products is Regulation (EU) No 305/2011, the Construction Products Regulation.
On 30 March 2022, the European Commission adopted the proposal for a revised Construction Products Regulation (CPR). The European Council adopted its position in June 2023, while the European Parliament followed one month later. In July 2023, the EOTA association published a position paper presenting their opinions and suggestions on the proposed revision. EOTA is a European association of Technical Assessment Bodies for construction products, assessment bodies established under the Construction Products Regulation.
Essential goals of a revised Construction Products Regulation
With this Proposal, the European Commission aims to achieve some essential objectives of this industry, such as the mitigation of environmental and climate impact, the improvement of the internal market functioning, and the increase of safety and health requirements. Consequently, the new Proposal intends to bring – among others – requirements for greener and safer construction products, easier delivery of harmonised standards, and improved digital product information. As a key goal to achieve a better functioning Single Market for construction products, the Proposal will reduce national barriers and improve market surveillance. Another important aspect of the revised Regulation is the introduction of the authorised representative for non-EU manufacturers.
EOTA position on the revised legislation
Some of the most relevant matters raised by EOTA concern the implementation of Articles 93 and 94. In the proposed text, Article 93 specifies transitional provisions which allow a phased transfer of the harmonised standards from the current Regulation to the revised CPR. Article 94 defines what the transitional dates timings are.
New CPR on transitional period and entry into force
Regarding Article 93, the Commission, Parliament, and Council consider as a start for the transitional period the date of entry into force of the revised CPR, with different timeframes. EOTA, on the other hand, supports the Council’s position on the timeframe and conditions, but states that the transitional period should apply from the date of application of the revised CPR rather than the entering into force date.
On the implementation of Article 94, the Council proposed a 24-month delay of the new CPR application compared to the Commission and Parliament proposal, which suggested that the new law would apply only one month after the entry into force. EOTA supports this 24-month delay proposed by the Council and argues that this postponement would allow the Commission and EOTA to complete ongoing EAD procedures. EAD stands for European Assessment Document, a harmonised technical specification for the European Technical Assessments (ETAs) foreseen for construction products. As a result, these 24 months would permit continued market access for products based on their EADs and ETAs and avoid activity disruptions for SMEs and other manufacturers.
Our Library of Documents dedicated to construction products collects all relevant regulatory publications. Check out our section dedicated to European Commission documents!
References:
EOTA (2023) A strong and clear CPR framework. EOTA Position Paper with a view to the start of the CPR trilogue. Retrieved on 08.09.2023.
European Commission (2022) Proposal for a Regulation laying down harmonised conditions for the marketing of construction products, amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and repealing Regulation (EU) 305/2011. Retrieved on 08.09.2023.
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