Now that the UK is no longer part of the European Union, the government wants to remove recognition of products certified by the Conformité Européenne (CE) scheme. It wants only products with a new British accreditation stamp on them, the United Kingdom Conformity Assessed (UKCA) mark. (Northern Ireland is exempt from the switch at the moment due to the protocol agreement.)
The problem is that there are too many products on the market and not enough testing capacity. The original deadline for the end of CE-mark recognition in the UK was 31st December 2021. This was put back in August 2021 to 31st December 2022.
With that deadline approaching, last month the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) announced that it was extending the deadline by a further two years, to 31st December 2024.
However, it transpired, certain exceptions were being made: “There will be different rules for medical devices, construction products, cableways, transportable pressure equipment, unmanned aircraft systems, rail products, and marine equipment,” BEIS said. “Government departments responsible for these sectors are making sector specific arrangements.”
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities has now set out the terms of the switchover for building products and has amended the Construction Products Regulation section of its website.
“Our intention is to end recognition of the CE mark in GB on 30 June 2025. Current rules, which allow for continued recognition of the CE mark, will remain in place until legislation is laid to end recognition of the CE mark,” it says.
No public statement has been issued on the further six months of grace for construction products, but it was picked up by the Construction Leadership Council (which had been pushing for delays) and disseminated through its channels.
DLUHC told us that the extra six months are for construction products only and not for construction machinery, which comes under different regulations.
Peter Caplehorne, chief executive of the Construction Products Association (CPA), which represents manufacturers, said: “The CPA welcomes the statement from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities announcing the government will extend recognition of CE Marking for construction products until 30th June 2025. The announcement does not delay the implementation of the UKCA Mark for construction products placed on the GB market but prolongs the period of recognition of the CE Mark. Use of the UKCA Mark has been permitted for some time now and it will continue to be available for use by the UK industry.
“We have been working for some time to bring about certainty for the marketplace and clarity involving the many interrelated issues that surround the shift to UKCA marking. We are pleased to have avoided the potentially catastrophic situation that was unfolding. Still, while this avoids a potential cliff edge there are many business-critical problems that need to be resolved.
“We are keen to continue engaging closely with government and industry to resolve these as quickly as possible, particularly the practical and commercial factors that are needed to ensure smooth market conditions. Until then, manufacturers can now get back to supporting the UK construction industry and the urgent need to grow the economy.”
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