SBS Construction Forum - Open Discussion on the CPR
Alessandra Flora
The SBS Construction Forum, on Wednesday 11th October in Brussels (14.00-17.00), will focus entirely on challenges and opportunities of the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) for SMEs, in view of its potential revision. Speakers from the European Commission and SBS experts will address the risks and opportunities of amendments to the CPR, speakers from CPE and FIEC will give views from other stakeholders, while one of the CEN Consultants will explain how to draft hENs fully in line with the CPR. So this event is a major opportunity to put forward experiences and thoughts on the future of this regulation and its harmonised technical specifications. All views expressed will help consolidate the SBS position will hopefully steer future developments and changes.
This year’s Forum will be open to everyone, so we hope to have a large number of participants. Please take this opportunity to make your voice heard on these crucial subjects by confirming your attendance.
Background information
The CPR, covering the marketing of construction products in the EU, has been fully in force for four years, replacing the Construction Products Directive (CPD). There were many changes from the CPD to the CPR, including the new obligation to draw up a Declaration of Performance (DOP) for products covered by an hEN. Some derogations from drawing up the DOP, and other simplified procedures aimed specifically at micro enterprises and SMEs, are included in the Regulation, but these are not being used to anywhere near as great an extent as might have been anticipated.
Also, for many different reasons but with some common themes, where CEN has updated ENs, or developed new ones, and submitted these to the Commission, they are not found to be acceptable as hENs. Solutions need to be found to ‘unblock’ this situation.
With the experience of applying the CPR now available within industry, together with various reports on its implementation, discussions on its future have now started. Options range from total withdrawal (leaving the market to work on a mutual recognition basis), through radical revision to partial revision and possibly more ‘flexible’ interpretation of some CPR provisions and, finally, to keeping the regulation exactly as it is.
11/10 - 11/10/2017