European Commission

In our work with this sector we cover the whole lifecycle of the economic activity, from the exploitation of the raw materials to the recycling of buildings or civil engineering works. Our activities can be divided into two major subsectors: the Construction Products and the Construction activity. The objectives, the tools and even the focus of our work and the treatment are different for each of them:

• As far as Construction products are concerned, the overall policy objective is to complete the Internal Market for such products mainly through the implementation of the Construction Products Directive, which will become the Construction Products Regulation in the near future. In practical terms, this is done through supporting the production of standards and European Technical Assessments and the development of the whole set of instruments foreseen for its implementation.
• Concerning the Construction activity itself, the focus is on the competitiveness of the sector, in particular by accompanying and encouraging actions from industry and Member States, not least in the field of sustainable construction and by promoting actions and supporting the development of common tools facilitating for companies and other actors to better adapt to the changes in the sector.

Safety in construction and the free movement of services, engineering and construction services, are also an important policy priority, which is developed through the promotion of the Eurocodes and their implementation by the Member States.