If a no deal Brexit takes place, the EU construction product regulation CPR will cease to be valid in Britain. Without remedial action by the British authorities, this could lead to serious problems in demonstrating the legality and suitability of construction products immediately after leaving the EU.
In order to control the situation, the British authorities have drawn up a separate regulation on the matter (UK statutory instrument 2019 no. 465), which ensures the continuation of the CE marking system for construction products in Britain when the separation takes place, with certain clarifications.
As a result of the legislation, properly CE-marked construction products can still be exported to Britain and placed on the market in the same way as before. Product exports to Britain will therefore not be disrupted if Brexit takes place. On the other hand, there will be changes for products manufactured in Britain.
In Britain, we are moving to use the national version of the CE marking system, the UK marking. This is only valid in the UK. Harmonized European product standards become national in Britain UK designated standards - into versions whose content is identical to the European hENs.
British notified bodies change from European notified bodies (EU notified bodies) into national (UK notified bodies) and thus function as a UK mark certifier, but can no longer act as a CE mark certifier.
If a British manufacturer wants to use the CE mark on its product, it must enter into a certification agreement with an institution notified by an EU country.
The regulation is intended to be temporary, but no end date has been set for it. In practice, it will therefore be valid for the time being when Brexit takes place. The British authorities will later assess the necessity of possible follow-up measures.
Timo Pulkki Director (Construction Regulations)