The European Union and Construction Products – A Common Standard
These days, most construction products are prepared in the factories by machinery that is either operated there or stored on site. With globalization taking over the entire sector, the building industry has also changed a lot. Almost every country in the world is trying to become competitive in this field by offering better services and products. This also includes the construction business. It has been noted that even the countries with the lowest level of construction investments are enjoying rapid benefits by selling off their projects to countries that offer cost-effective and quality services.
There is a flurry of activity in the energy economy, especially regarding construction products. One of the most important factors contributing to this was the amendment of the construction Products directive last July. The directive initially permitted the erection of thermal power lines, but it was soon changed to include gas-fired boilers, as well as cable-less equipments. The main purpose behind both of these amendments was to facilitate greater competitiveness in the energy market.
Another significant amendment took place in July, this time with the inclusion of a new Technical Barriers regulation. This technical barrier focuses on making the procedure for obtaining a construction permit easier and more effective, thereby facilitating the construction of environmentally sound infrastructure. The four main elements of this regulation are: technical standardisation, compliance, certification, and licensing. To ensure that the implementation of the regulation takes place within the correct framework, technical standards have to be complied with in order to ensure that products obtain approval from the relevant authorities.
In order to harmonise conditions across the industry, the construction products directive took a major step forward in 1 January when the European Commission brought into force its policy on harmonised conditions across the sectors. This policy is designed to avoid discrimination between various sectors and promote greater efficiency at all levels of the construction industry. The policy also includes a commitment to introduce legislation covering waste and construction materials. This can only be seen as a good move from the Commission’s point of view as construction products and waste management have been traditionally two separate issues.
In order to harmonise standards across industries, the Commission proposed and adopted an action plan setting out how member states would work towards achieving a common approach to harmonise conditions for construction products within their jurisdiction. The European Union has also stepped up its support for the policy, which it sees as providing a platform for industry stakeholders to increase stakeholder engagement. According to this plan, the Commission will analyse the progress of progress in implementing its policy and inform its member states of any shortcomings. It also called on them to take measures to overcome the identified inadequacies and to accelerate the implementation of harmonised standards in order to ensure that the policy can be fully implemented by its Member states and be put into practice before the end of the year 20 March 2021.
With the current trends in the construction industry, it is expected that the regulation covering construction products will be in place before the end of the year 20 March. By then, all member states of the European Union will be fully compliant with the regulation. In fact, the implementation of the harmonised standards should be seen as the opening block for industry to move towards a more rational and consistent regulation. This will hopefully provide a stronger platform for businesses in the construction industry to develop and strengthen their competitiveness and to provide better services and products to their consumers.
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