The Construction Products Regulation (CPR) is the key legislative instrument for construction products in the EU and sets rules for the marketing of construction products in the internal market.
The new proposal for a revised CPR is part of the European Commission’s “Sustainable Products Initiative” (SPI), a broader legislative package on sustainable products that the Commission presented on 30 March 2022. The proposal aims to address the numerous shortcomings of the existing legislative framework (problems related to the development and citation of harmonised standards, problems related to the legal framework surrounding construction products, problems related to the quality of market surveillance, problems related to the absence of climate, environmental and sustainability performance requirements of construction products).
The new CPR was agreed on in 2023 and 2024. According to FIEC’s analysis, overall complexity of the text has been significantly reduced. In particular, the new regulation now focuses on the free circulation of construction products in the internal market by excluding the direct installation, dismantling and manufacture of products 'on site' from the scope. This represents a massive cost and time saving for contractors (approx. 1-2 FTE per year). The standard-setting process has been simplified and the rules should also help the sector to become more sustainable and digitised. The final text also makes a clear distinction between the competences of the Member States, which are responsible for the safety level of construction works, and those of the Union, which defines the framework conditions for the internal market.
The new CPR introduces a new digital product passport system that will fundamentally change the way information about products is exchanged between manufacturers and contractors. This information will include data on the environmental performance of products.
However, a major drawback is the long transition period from the current (305/2011) to the revised CPR. This transition period is likely to create immense planning uncertainty for the sector at a time when circular and innovative construction methods are on the rise.
FIEC’s comments on the revised Construction Products Regulation can be found here.
