Parliament demands in its new resolution quick solutions to improve the standardisation of construction products and pushes for a transition to a sustainable and more circular economy.
MEPs call in the resolution, adopted with 686 votes in favour (4 against, 5 abstentions), on the European Commission to find a quick and viable way to improve and speed up the standardisation process for construction products. Of the 444 existing harmonised standards for construction products, only 12 new ones have been issued since the Construction Products Regulation was adopted in 2011, hindering the free movement of products in the EU.
The resolution supports aligning the construction product regulation with other environmental product policies and calls for products to be sourced, manufactured, reused and recycled in a more sustainable manner. MEPs also stress that health, safety and environmental aspects should be considered in the future information and performance requirements, which currently is not the case for the CE label used for construction products. MEPs also accentuate that digital solutions should be used more widely to reduce fragmentation and excessive paperwork, and make product information more transparent and comparable.
“Harmonized European standards are the backbone of the internal market: they promote competition and catalyse innovation. Nevertheless, there has been a considerable backlog of standards for construction products for years. We need long-term and short-term solutions to clear this standards backlog. With today’s vote, we as a Parliament have taken a clear position on the upcoming revision of the regulation by the Commission. The Construction Products Regulation must be made fit for the future with view to digitalisation and sustainability,” said rapporteur Christian Doleschal (EPP, DE).