Before this summer the European Commission will report to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of the Construction Products Regulation, 5 years after its entry into force in 2011.
Small Business Standards SBS and EBC represent both the users and the manufacturers of construction products. This is why they discussed their suggestions with CEN-CENELEC in a bilateral meeting.
The two main messages of SBS concern:
• Compulsory use of harmonised standards. With the entrance into force of the Construction Product Regulation, the CE marking became mandatory to trade construction products in the Internal Market. Harmonised standards have therefore become the only viable way to demonstrate the compliance with EU legislation. This makes them de facto compulsory;
• Role of the New Approach Consultants. These experts evaluate whether or not harmonised standards before their approval comply with the requirements of the Regulation. We think this is the only means to adequately assess if the standard-making process respects the mandates of the European Commission. A self-assessment of CEN-CENELEC or a regular assessment from the Commission is neither an efficient nor a feasible solution.
SBS has already provided its opinion on this matter in its position paper called Quality Initiative for Construction Standardisation
Representing construction SMEs & craftsmen in Europe