This has led to the question how can deregulation be continued and improved. A working group set up by the Dutch government has suggested proposals for further deregulation. As part of this project, we compared the systems of building control in other West European countries. Technical requirements are set on a national level in nearly all countries. Product requirements are developed on a European level.
Building regulations differ significantly between the European countries.
In most countries deregulation is driven by similar aims as in the Netherlands. We elaborate on the organization of the technical building control that depends highly on responsibilities of parties in the building process. Finally, we point out the direction for further deregulation of the system of building control for the Netherlands as well as for other European countries. The national legislation in the various countries should allow a recognition of the control by performing parties on compliance with the national technical requirements. This could be done on the basis of certification to European standards.