What are Harmonised Standards

A harmonised standard is a European standard (EN), prepared by the European Commission or the EFTA Secretariat with the purpose of supporting the essential requirements of a directive.

The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) was founded in 1961 with the intention of developing harmonised standards in various sectors, to create a single internal market for goods and services to position Europe in the global economy.

The European Single Market was introduced in 1992 with the aim to remove trade barriers between EU countries, meaning organisations would not have to worry about local product legislations, providing a level playing field for market requirements through harmonised standards. Directives were introduced across the EU with which all products must comply. European Commission directives define the ‘essential requirements’, for example: the protection of health and safety that goods must meet to be placed on the market.

The European Standard that covers materials and products used in construction is listed under the Construction Products Directive (CPD). The CPD aims to remove trade barriers for construction products within the European Economic Area (EEA).

The CPD has provided the following four elements which have enabled this freedom of trade:
• A system of harmonised technical specifications
• An agreed system of attestation of conformity for each product family
• A framework of notified bodies
• CE product marking

CE Marking:
CE marking is a compulsory conformance mark required on products available on the market in the European Economic Area (EEA). A product bearing CE marking shows the Government that the product can be legally placed on the market and can be sold freely within the European Union.

CE marking is required if either the New Approach or Global Approach directives apply to the products. Each directive is split into two sets of requirements: protection requirements and administration requirements. The protection requirements set the safety standards each product must meet, ensuring the product is safe for transportation and intended use when purchased anywhere in the EU. The administration requirements state how each product should be CE marked.
More information about this and sustainable construction can be found on the Wholebuild website