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(2004/C 65 E/256)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2892/03

by Mario Borghezio (NI) to the Commission

(29 September 2003)

Subject:   More efficient systems for the certification of steel from countries outside the Community used in the construction industry

The more efficient and strict a system for certifying steel for use in the construction industry is, the more the safety of buildings can be guaranteed, especially in countries and regions with a high risk of earthquakes.

Substantial quantities of round reinforcing rods and wire rods come from countries outside the Community (e.g. Turkey, Ukraine, etc.), exported by producers who obtain type approval and certification which, unfortunately, often do not seem adequately to ensure the safety of the products, especially those used for building purposes, which may have dangerous consequences, in particular in areas with a high risk of earthquakes or floods.

In view of this, will the Commission take steps to bring all the certification and type approval systems used in the various Member States up to the strictest possible standards?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(28 October 2003)

The structural safety of constructions, whether buildings or civil engineering works, is the first of the six essential requirements which are the basis of Council Directive 89/106/EEC of 21 December 1988 (1), known as the construction products directive, which is intended to guarantee the free movement of products and their suitability for use while ensuring maximum safety.

The Directive states that products must be fit for use and that this fitness is assessed in relation to technical specifications known as ‘harmonised’ technical approvals or standards.

The construction products directive also states that when a harmonised standard or approval exists, it becomes binding and compulsory and must be regarded as the only reference indicating conformity with the essential requirements, and consequently their fitness for use and for placing on the market, by affixing the EC mark.

Structural steels, which represent a major group of construction products, have been the subject of a specific standardisation mandate — M 115 — drawn up by the Commission and approved by the Standing Committee on Construction. This mandate was given to the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) for the preparation of seven harmonised standards establishing the highest level of conformity certification (level 1) so that reinforcing and structural steels could be assessed to see that they matched the essential requirements of the construction products directive.

The construction products directive and the harmonised technical specifications which are its technical references for implementation constitute the legal means whereby European legislation can ensure the free movement of construction products by means of technical harmonisation which ensures the highest level of safety and which at the same time allows them to bear the EC mark.

However, responsibility for supervising the certification and approval of products and materials bearing the EC mark lies with the national authorities, who remain solely responsible for the safety of structures.

The harmonised technical specifications for this group of products are not yet fully available. As they are completed by the CEN committee, the Commission will publish the references in the C series of the Official Journal of the European Union.

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(1)  Council Directive 89/106/EEC of 21 December 1988 on the approximation of laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to construction products, OJ L 40, 11.2.1989.

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