Summary
With the adoption of the Construction Products Directive (CPD) in 1988, the Commission laid the groundwork for a "single market" for construction products in the EU. Entry into force of the CPD, which covers a wide range of products from log home kits to thermal insulation, was not immediate because the EU regulator still needed to determine the relevant conformity assessment procedures, as only then could the European standards organizations start to develop the required standards. The process has since gained momentum, so that today there are over 227 construction product standards that have already been adopted, and about the same amount are in the pipeline. Unlike other "New Approach" Directives, for this industry, the use of harmonzed standards is the only route to CE marking because the standards specify exact prerformance criteria, test methods, and conformity assessment to apply the required mark.