Having previously been set to expire in June 2025, UK recognition of the CE ('Conformité Européenne) marking for construction products will be extended indefinitely.
The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Building Safety and Homelessness released a statement on 2 September 2024 that the CE marking would continue to be recognised and available when placing construction products on the market in the UK. This extension will come as welcome news to the industry, as there has not previously been significant visible progress in managing the phasing out of the CE marking in favour of the UKCA equivalent.
Why has this decision been taken?
Following an investigation into the regulation of construction products, in August 2023 the Independent Review of the Construction Product Testing Regime highlighted the inadequacy of the testing capacity within the UK to meet the potential growth in demand for testing should the recognition of CE marking be brought to an end as planned. The review panel recommended that the government: develop a clearer understanding of the existing capacity to meet demand for conformity assessment and testing services for construction products; relieve pressures on the testing market to ease the transitions to UKCA marking and; investigate the potential for alternative technologies to reduce or eliminate the requirement for physical testing, without reducing the reliability of the data provided.
The government's response in the September announcement has been to acknowledge the findings of the report and to extend the validity of the CE marking so that the domestic capacity for assessment is given sufficient time to develop before being strained with the responsibility to assess the full extent of UK-marketed construction products.
What can we expect in future?
As the recognition of the CE marking has been extended indefinitely, construction products have been brought into line with other products under the remit of the Department for Business & Trade. This new, more aligned, approach may be a sign that the government wishes to consider CE markings as a whole, rather than by sector. The indefinite extension also lifts the deadline after which the marking system for construction products would sharply diverge between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
As a further note of comfort, there was also a commitment to announce with two years notice the phasing out of the CE marking. If and when recognition of CE marking is ended, the two year transition period will allow for a period of preparation before the new regime begins.
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