Ü-mark replacement in sight
The judgment passed by the European Court of Justice in Case C-100/13 – three and a half years ago – has caused a great deal of excitement in Germany. The well-known consequence of this ruling is that harmonized construction products may no longer be labelled with the so-called Ü-mark in Germany. At the same time, German building regulations demand proof that the requirements placed on a construction product for a given structure be met – i.e., requirements not covered by the harmonized European construction products standards. This represents a dilemma for manufacturers of precast construction products: without the Ü-mark they are unable to procure the required attestation of conformity.
In the meantime, things have calmed down: the initial excitement has given way to the recognition that “We are currently in a transition phase” – as an industry expert said to the BFT editorial office.
Ten organizations and trade associations have recently proposed a solution to the conflict between European construction products standards and German building regulations. The concept enables all requirements imposed on construction products under building regulations to be agreed under private law. “In this way, adherence to and proof of conformity with the requirements of building regulations would be possible until complete harmonization of European standards,” according to the initiators.
More information is available to you from ten organizations (Bayerischer Industrieverband Baustoffe, Steine und Erden; FBF Baden-Württemberg; FBF Sachsen/Thüringen; Fachvereinigung BmG; FBS; FDB; Hessenbeton; UVMB; VBF Nord; Verband Bau- und Rohstoffindustrie, as well as Bundesverband Leichtbeton.) And we will of course keep you current on further developments.
