<h1>New EU Regulation Aims to Improve the Quality of Construction Products</h1>

Prague, July 15 (ČTK) - Manufacturers of building materials must from this July substantiate the properties of these products with a so-called Declaration of Conformity. The new EU regulation aims to improve the quality of materials on the market and allow for easier prosecution of fraudsters. Some manufacturers contacted by ČTK are concerned about an increase in administrative and financial burdens.
    The EU regulation on construction products imposes increased requirements on manufacturers, distributors, designers, construction suppliers, or building supervisors on behalf of the investor. One example is the obligation to declare the properties of construction products, handling of products during distribution, or the obligation to prove the content of hazardous substances, stated Václav Matyáš, president of the Association of Entrepreneurs in Construction in the Czech Republic (SPS ČR). He added that there is also an increased emphasis on the development of environmentally friendly products.
    Milan Holeček, chairman of the Office for Technical Standardization, Metrology, and State Testing, specified that all economic entities now have the obligation to indicate their name on the product, attach documents regarding its safety, and carry out appropriate tests if there are doubts about the accuracy of the data. According to him, this improves control and possible prosecution of dishonest manufacturers. "Products, or rather manufacturers, can be easily traceable if necessary based on the mandatory provided information," Holeček noted, adding that companies must keep technical documentation for at least ten years. "At the request of market oversight authorities, they must identify all suppliers and buyers of a specific product. This allows for traceability of the manufacturer or product in case it is proven that the product is dangerous for some reason," Holeček clarified.
    According to the Association of Mineral Insulation Manufacturers (AVMI), the regulation has brought greater transparency to the market. "Customers can compare comparable products, and if a manufacturer is cheating, they will be punished for it. We hope that there will also be a positive effect in eliminating poor-quality products that come to us, for example, from China," noted association secretary Marcela Jonášová.
    Higher quality is expected from the regulation according to Lubomír Keim, director of the Research Institute of Civil Engineering, who is also an authorized engineer in the fields of civil engineering and building testing and diagnostics. "From my short experience with this regulation, I believe it should lead to higher quality construction, as it should limit the incorporation of products into buildings with properties that cannot guarantee compliance with general technical requirements for constructions," he said.
    The new directive has been prepared for several years, so building material manufacturers had time to prepare. This is confirmed, for example, by insulation manufacturer Knauf Insulation. "Our products are fully compliant with the new regulation. Since the day it came into effect, we have also launched an online database with Declarations of Performance and safety data sheets for all our materials," informed the company's marketing director Romana Janošová.
    However, AVMI secretary Jonášová warns that the new regulation may lead to a temporary increase in administrative and financial burdens. "In reality, this may mean that manufacturers will measure even parameters that are not relevant for the given product because the customer will inquire about the value. Testing laboratories, which perform the measurements, will benefit the most from this situation," she warned.
    Matyáš also acknowledges the ambiguous reception of the new regulation. "Like any novelty, the implementation of the regulation will probably cause some confusion for a while. This will also be because, at least during the introduction period, it will mean an increase in costs," he stated.
    The new regulation harmonizes the conditions for marketing construction products and is valid throughout the EU. It pertains to products marketed according to harmonized technical specifications (hEN) or European Technical Assessments (ETA).