WRITTEN QUESTION E-0434/00

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) and Mauro Nobilia (UEN) to the Commission

(23 February 2000)

Subject: Housing safety standards

With reference to Written Question E-2480/99 and the Commission reply(1), and while questioning in passing the fact that the Commission did not consider it necessary to introduce legislation laying down safety standards for housing, despite the many recent incidents that have alerted us to this issue, can the Commission explain why a directive adopted twelve years ago (Council Directive 89/106/EEC of 21 December 1988)(2) has not yet been transposed into the individual Member States' domestic law?

Does the Commission agree that it is possible that a directive dating back so far no longer corresponds to current safety standards for housing, and requires updating?

So, while we urgently request that a directive be drawn up on housing safety standards, could the Commission also take action to speed up the process of drawing up technical specifications, which supposedly is being carried out by the standards organisations, with a view to laying down harmonised and, as far as possible, definitive standards?

Finally, could the Commission set out the criteria for the implementation of the reference directive, once it has been updated or transposed into law?

(1) OJ C 280 E, 3.10.2000, p. 52.

(2) OJ L 40, 11.2.1989, p. 12.

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(6 April 2000)

The Commission shares the Honourable Members' concerns regarding housing safety standards in the Community.

For several years the Commission has made a considerable effort to bring about harmonisation of the different types and methods of design and construction both in the building industry and in public works, in so far as its mandate and means have allowed. These efforts resulted both in the adoption of Council Directive 89/106/EEC on the approximation of laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to construction products and in the preparation of Eurocodes. The Commission would also like to point out that all Member States have transposed this Directive, the latest being Belgium in 1998.

However, this legislative instrument requires harmonised technical specifications detailing all safety aspects i.e. essential requirements for all product families which are supposed to be construction-related. These specifications must allow the products to be incorporated permanently in construction works, ensuring that they respect the essential requirements of structural safety, environmental standards and energy conservation.

These technical specifications are drawn up by two bodies: the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) and the European Organisation for Technical Approvals (EOTA) in accordance with the new approach to technical harmonisation and standards and with the principle of subsidiarity(1). In accordance with the subsidiarity principle, building safety is the responsibility of Member States.

The Commission believes the Directive is still up-to-date as the expected technical specifications correspond to scientific and technical progress and to advancements in the state of the art.

The Commission has completed its programme for drawing up standardisation mandates for the fifty product families approved by the Standing Committee on Construction; the CEN must draw up harmonised standards and the EOTA must provide harmonised technical approval. The Commission is currently concentrating all its efforts on ensuring that the two bodies provide, as a matter of urgency, harmonised specifications per mandate and per contract.

(1) Council Resolution of 7 May 1985, OJ C 136, 4.6.1985.