Council and Parliament reach agreement on Construction Products Regulation
Yesterday’s last trialogue negotiation of the year on the revision of the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) concluded with a provisional political agreement between the co-legislators. Pending further details of the agreement reached last night and its subsequent analysis, here is the information we have managed to obtain:
- Accelerated Standardization System: The agreed-upon rules aim to give a boost to the standardization system, which has faced challenges in recent years. The new system proposed by the legislators tries to achieve faster and more cost-effective publication of standards.
- Narrower Scope Definition: The agreed text seems to define a narrower scope than the Commission’s initial proposal. Notably, materials required for 3D printing and products built and installed directly on production sites are excluded from the regulation.
- Inclusion of Reused and Remanufactured Products: Despite the narrowed scope, the adapted version of the regulation encompasses reused and remanufactured products. The annex provides a list of environmental requirements that manufacturers must include in the declaration of performance and conformity.
- Sustainability Criteria for Public Procurement: The provisional agreement allows public authorities the option to use sustainability as one of the criteria for the auctioning of construction works. Importantly, this is presented as an option and not an obligation for Member States.
- Digitalization: The Digital Product Passport will be introduced from the Eco design Regulation, allowing for the provision of product information in a digital format. This passport, accessible on construction sites via smartphones, streamlines the availability of essential information while reducing the content of the CE marking to its core elements.
- Transition Period: The provisional agreement proposes a 15-year transition period from the old legal framework to the new one, lasting until 2039. This duration is needed for the proper updating of harmonized technical specifications to meet the new requirements, minimizing the risk for de-harmonization of product groups during this period.
Next Steps: The validated text of the provisional agreement now moves forward to be validated by Parliament before receiving definitive ratification and publication in the Official Journal of the EU.
Once this process is completed, under the upcoming Belgian Presidency of the Council and thus expected before the European elections in May 2024, the new legislation will be published in the Official Journal of the Union and enter into force as law.
You can read the press releases of the European Parliament and the Council of the EU (only in English). Once we receive the official text we will come back to you.
Feel free to get back to us for any additional information you may need.
Best regards,
Evangelia (Valia) Tsiala
Technical Officer
| European Builders Confederation EBC | The voice of construction SMEs in Europe! Rond-point Schuman 2-4, 1040 Brussels T. +32 489504370
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