The European Union seeks to establish free trade for construction products on the Single European Market. This is why more and more such products in Europe carry a CE mark. The Construction Products Directive (BPR, 89/106 EEC) was enacted on 11 February 1989 in the Official Journal of the European Union (EC L 40) as a Council Directive for standardizing administrative and legal regulations for construction products in EU Member States.

The Construction Products Directive aims to establish essential requirements for buildings where construction products are used. According to the annex of the directive, these requirements must, subject to normal maintenance, be satisfied for an economically reasonable working life. Such essential requirements include:

• mechanical resistance and stability
• safety in case of fire
• hygiene, health and the environment
• safety in use
• protection against noise
• energy economy and heat retention

The definition of essential requirements must not reduce the different existing levels of protection in the Member States. The requirements of the Construction Products Directive have been laid down in interpretative documents which serve as a basis for mandates to:

• CEN (European Commitee for Standardization) to draw up harmonized European standards
• EOTA (European Organisation for Technical Approvals) to draw up guidelines for European technical approvals (ETA)

Meeting these conditions is a prerequisite for the CE mark which proves that the manufacturer complies with all relevant EU directives and that his product fulfills all essential requirements of the Construction Products Directive.