What is the EU Construction Products Regulation?
Background to the new Northern Ireland CPR rules looking at the EU Construction Products Regulation.
The EU Construction Products Regulation (EU CPR) . Standards are developed by European standardisation bodies, and define the methods and the criteria for assessing the performance of the product in relation to its 鈥渆ssential characteristics鈥. Standards become harmonised when the reference to the standard is published in the Official Journal of the European Union - see .
Where a harmonised European standard (or 鈥榟EN鈥) exists for a product, the EU CPR places obligations on manufacturers, distributors and importers (known collectively as 鈥榚conomic operators鈥) of that product when it is placed on the market in the European Economic Area (EEA). The product must have a declaration of performance and have been affixed with the 鈥楥E鈥 marking.
In order to safeguard the reliability of the declaration of performance, the EU CPR provides for systems of 鈥淎ssessment and Verification of Constancy of Performance鈥 (AVCP). Where third-party assessment of the performance of construction products is required, this assessment may only be undertaken by authorised 鈥榥otified bodies鈥. Notified bodies are accredited, and Member States then formally 鈥榥otify鈥 the European Commission and other European Union countries. Those notified bodies are listed on the EU鈥檚 database (the 鈥楴ew Approach Notified and Designated Organisations鈥 database - known as 鈥楴ANDO鈥).
Where the standard requires third-party assessment, that notified body鈥檚 4-digit identification number must be affixed to the product.
The EU CPR also allows manufacturers to affix the CE marking to products that are not fully covered by a harmonised European standard. This is permitted where manufacturers receive a technical assessment of their product based on a 鈥楨uropean Assessment Document鈥 (EAD). EADs are devised by the group of 鈥榯echnical assessment bodies鈥 (TABs).
Further information on the approach for products that are not fully covered by a harmonised standard can be found at the .