Share this on social media
The struggle for Europe’s green construction norms
(EurActiv, 17 Apr 2023) Negotiations on the EU’s revised construction product regulation are drawing to a close after months of fighting behind the scenes between industry groups and green advocates.
The regulation, dating from 2011, aims to standardise construction products across the EU, with a view to promoting innovation in an otherwise conservative sector.
But instead of fostering intra-EU trade, policymakers agree that EU rules governing construction products have become a bloated mess that does not work as intended.
When the European Commission presented its proposal to reform the regulation last year, it politely described the current policy framework as “underperforming”.
Others, like German centre-right lawmaker Christian Doleschal, are more candid. Doleschal, the European Parliament’s speaker on the revised regulation, criticised the current rules for causing a “backlog” of more than 400 applications to put new construction products on the EU market.
One source working closely with the law referred to the regulation as “gobbledygook”.
The European Parliament and EU member states are currently discussing their respective positions on the regulation before entering final “trilogue” talks, possibly before the autumn.
External link
EurActiv, 17 Apr 2023: The struggle for Europe’s green construction norms
