G/TBT/N/FRA/214  
24 September  2021 
(21-7135) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  French  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.  
 
1. Notifying Member : FRANCE  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):  
2. Agency responsible:  
Direction Générale de l'Aménagement, du Logement et de la Nature (Directorate -
General for Planning, Housing and Nature)   
Direction de l'Habitat, de l'Urbanisme et des Paysages  (Housing, Urban Planning and 
Landscape Department)   
Sous-Direction de la Qualité et du Développement Durable dans la Construction  (Unit 
for Quality and Sustainable Development in Construction)   
Bureau de la Qualité Technique et de la Réglementation Techni que de la Construction  
(Office for the Technical Quality and Technical Regulation of Construction)   
Tour Sequoia, place Carpeaux - 92055 LA DEFENSE CEDEX  
FRANCE  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if availabl e) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [ ], 5.6.2 [ ], 5.7.1 [ ], other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading . ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable) : 
Construction products, decoration products and electrical, electronic and environmental 
engineering equipment according to the following definitions : "Construction products" : 
products incorporated into the construction of a building or part of a building in a durable 
manner ; "Decoration products" : products used as wall, floor and ceiling coverings ; 
"Electrical, electronic and environmental engineering equipment" : technical systems 
integrated into a building or part of a building or its plot, contributing to the operation of 
the building for heating, cooling, ventilation, local energy production, lighting, domestic 
hot water and other sanitation systems,  safety, fire safety, mobility of building occupants, 
building automation and regulation, and energy and communication networks  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document : Arrêté modifiant 
l'arrêté du 4 août 2021 relatif aux exigences de performance énergétique et 
environnementale des constructions de bâtiments en France métropolitaine et portant 
approbation de la méthode de calcul prévue à l'article R. 172 -6 du code de la construction 
et de l'habitation  (Order amending the Or der of 4 August 2 021 on the energy and 
environmental performance requirements for the construction of buildings in metropolitan 
France and approving the calculation method provided for in Article R. 172 -6 of the 
Building and Housing Code) (5 pages, in Fren ch) 
6. Description of content : The notified draft Order amends the Order of 4 August 2 021 on 
the energy and environmental performance requirements for the construction of buildings 
in metropolitan France and approving the calculation method provided for i n Article R. 
172-6 of the Building and Housing Code . It provides details on the regulatory G/TBT/N/FRA/214  
- 2 - 
  requirements on energy and environmental performance applicable to new buildings for 
use as offices and for primary and secondary education, established by decree.  
The main requirements involve:  
limiting energy needs for heating, cooling and artificial lighting;  
limiting energy consumption for six types of appliance (heating, cooling, domestic hot 
water, lighting, mobility of building occupants, ancillary appliances),  and limiting the 
climate change impact associated with such energy consumption;  
limiting the climate change impact of the building;  
limiting summer discomfort in the building.  
The draft Order also contains requirements for the calculation of certain indicators . These 
should enable the sector to anticipate future requirements and minimum levels to be 
achieved and provide additional information on the impact of the building on global 
warming . Resource requirements are also provided for as a perf ormance safeguard (most 
of the previous regulation has been retained).  
The draft Order also contains specific performance requirements for certain components.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable : By signing  the Paris Agreement in 2015, France made a firm commitment to 
the fight against climate change . This ambition was reaffirmed in the energy -climate law, 
which provides for the achievement of carbon neutrality by 2050 ; improving the energy 
and environmental  performance of new buildings is an important tool for the fulfilment of 
this objective . This requires reducing buildings' energy needs, curbing the reliance on 
fossil or non -renewable fuels, and limiting the impact of building components on climate 
change  (which often accounts for more than 50% of new buildings' impact on climate 
change) . It is also necessary to make buildings more comfortable in summer, firstly to 
ensure buildings remain comfortable in a warming climate, and secondly to limit ensuing 
energy consumption for cooling purposes . The draft Order seeks to provide details on the 
regulatory requirements established by decree applicable to new buildings for use as 
offices and for primary or secondary education ; Protection of the environment  
8. Relevant documents:  
Directive 2010/31/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 1 9 May 2 010 on 
the energy performance of buildings, amended by Directive (EU) 2018/844 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council of 3 0 May 2 018, in particular Art icle 3 
9. Proposed date of adoption : 1 January 2 022 
Proposed date of entry into force : 1 July 2 022 
10. Final date for comments : 60 days from the date of notification  
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available, of other body:  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2021/TBT/FRA/21_6089_00_f.pdf