Construction Products Directive

Construction Products Directive (Council Directive 89/106/EEC) (CPD) is a now repealed European Union Directive which aimed to remove technical barriers to trade in construction products between Member States in the European Union.

The directive is now replaced by Regulation (EU) No 305/2011. The directive was replaced in order to simplify and clarify the existing framework, and improve the transparency and the effectiveness of the existing measures.

It sought to "ensure the free movement of all construction products within the European Union by harmonizing national laws with respect to the essential requirements applicable to these products in terms of health and safety." An additional objective of the directive was to "standardize the manufacturing of construction products and guarantee the unlimited use of these products within the EU."

The CPD provided the following four main elements:

• a system of harmonised technical specifications
• an agreed system of attestation of conformity for each product family
• a framework of notified bodies
• the CE marking of products.

The Directive did not aim to harmonise regulations. Member States and public and private sector procurers were free to set their own requirements on the performance of works and therefore products. What the CPD sought to harmonise was the methods of test, the methods of declaration of product performance values, and the method of conformity assessment. Choice of value for intended use was left to the regulators in each Member State.

The CPD has been amended by the Council Directive 93/68/EEC of 22 July 1993 and Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 September 2003. The directive was repealed and replaced by Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 on 9 March 2011.