New rules for windows and external pedestrian doorsets

The new CPR came into force on 7 January 2025. Based on this regulation, a new harmonised product standard (hEN) for windows and pedestrian doorsets must be developed in the coming years by the European standardisation organisations CEN (Comité Européen de Normalisation) and CENELEC (Comité Européen de Normalisation Électrotechnique), which regulates the testing and assessment of the essential characteristics of construction products, their continuous production control and their marking and placing on the market.

The aim of the new CPR is to ensure a smoothly functioning EU internal market for construction products. This should close existing regulatory gaps and avoid previous inaccuracies. Clear rules are also being sought to prevent differences in application between member states. This is to be achieved, for example, with dated references. The aim is to ensure that the free movement of goods is not hindered by differing national regulations and to increase legal certainty for manufacturers, distributors and users. Furthermore, the sustainability of construction products and digitalisation in the construction industry are to be promoted. To ensure that new product standards can be developed based on the new CPR, the European Commission has launched a so-called Aquis process. In the Aquis process, standardisation requests (SReq) are formulated that define the scope and essential characteristics of the product standards. The standardisation committees in CEN/CENELEC are then required to implement the requirements in the product standards so that manufacturers receive a legally secure basis on which they can provide their products with the prescribed Declaration of Performance and Conformity (DoPC) and place them on the market.

The CPR (EU) 2024/3110, which has been revised in key points, initially came into force in parallel with the existing CPR (EU) 305/2011. This ensures consistent CE marking of construction products in accordance with harmonised product standards (hEN) until new product standards are harmonised under the new CPR (EU) 2024/3110. Manufacturers are only obliged to comply with the requirements of the new CPR once the product standard relevant to their product has been harmonised under the new CPR (i.e. listed in the Official Journal of the EU (OJEU)) and the coexistence period, which usually lasts one year, has expired. This explains why the previous CPR (EU) 305/2011 will be withdrawn after a 15-year transitional period in 2040. An ad hoc group led by the European Commission is currently working on standardisation requests for windows, doors, gates, rooflights and shutters. The new product standard for windows and pedestrian doorsets will then be developed based on the new CPR.

One of the reasons for the revision of the old CPR (EN) 305/2011 was that the basis on which the standardisation request (SReq) was issued to CEN/CENELEC only incompletely reflected the requirements for construction works in the member states. In order to ensure this for the upcoming revision of all product standards, all requirements of the member states for the various product groups were queried and compiled in the acquis process as a basis for the future SReq. Additional national requirements that hinder the free movement of goods within the EU should no longer exist in future. This work has already been completed by the Acquis Group (SG 4), so that a standardisation mandate for windows, doors, gates, rooflights and shutters is expected to be sent to CEN in 2026. Once the SReq has been accepted by CEN for processing, a schedule will be drawn up in which the product standard is to be developed. The revision is expected to take around three years. The product standard will then be reviewed and adopted by the European Commission.

A similar acquis process is also underway for curtain walling (TC 33 / WG 6) and glass in buildings (TC129). The difference is that the ad hoc groups for carrying out the technical work act in self-administration and the SReq is developed independently, i.e. without the assistance of the EU Commission. The list of products covered (Milestone I) and the essential characteristics and assessment methods (Milestone III) of the product standards must also be defined in the standardisation requests. This process is called ‘fast track’, even if it is not really faster, but it enables the product groups to move up the priority list for product standardisation. Glass in Buildings for example, would otherwise only have been able to start developing new product standards 5 - 6 years later. If the SReq, which was developed independently in the ‘Fast Track Procedure’, is accepted by the Commission, standardisation work can begin for the product groups it covers.

Significant changes to the requests for standardization are expected:

• Requirements for the sustainability of construction products
  (Essential requirement for construction works No. 8 of the new CPR)

• Declaration of the environmental performance of the product over its entire life cycle

• Software for calculation is to be made available free of charge on the Commission's website

• A new assessment and verification system (AVS) 3+ for the assessment and verification of constancy of performance (AVCP) will also be introduced for this purpose. In this system, the manufacturer is responsible for the factory production control (FPC) and the determination of the product type. The notified body (NB) then validates the input data, assessments and procedures.

• Product standard also will applies to used products.

• Information on dismantling and recycling or disposal is required.

• General product information, instructions for use and safety information must be provided for the product.

• Restriction of product standards to the ‘essential characteristics’ specified in the standardisation mandate, i.e. no additional (voluntary) performance requirements.

• Digital Product Passport for products (DPP) with the following content:

• DoPC

• General product information, instructions for use and safety information

• Technical documentation for the product

The new CPR (EU) 2024/3110 lays the basis for the product standardisation of the future and opens up the opportunity to strengthen the European single market for construction products and drive innovation in the areas of sustainability and digitalisation. However, in order to achieve these goals, it is crucial that the new standards can be implemented in a practical manner and that the competitiveness of European window and door manufacturers is not jeopardised by excessive bureaucracy.

The industry is expressly committed to greater transparency, resource efficiency and digitalisation. At the same time, political decision-makers must ensure that the new requirements - such as the digital product passport (DPP), the declaration of environmental performance or the extended verification obligations are designed with a sense of proportion and can be implemented efficiently in the standardisation processes. This is the only way to promote innovation, ease the burden on small and medium-sized enterprises and ensure fair competitive conditions in the European market.

1. European Union, Regulation (EU) No 2024/3110 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2024 laying down harmonised requirements for the marketing of construction products and repealing Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 (Text with EEA relevance). Official Journal of the European Union L, 18 December 2024
2. European Union, Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2011 laying down harmonised conditions for the marketing of construction products and repealing Directive 89/106/EEC (Construction Products Regulation). Official Journal of the European Union L, 88 of 4 April 2011
3. European Commission, DG GROW. (2023). Harmonized standards under CPR: CPR Acquis, Fast-track and standardisation request development process [Webinar]. European Commission. https://www.cencenelec.eu/news-events/events/2023/2023-06-29-webinar-cpr/
4. DIN EN 14351-1:2016-12, Windows and doors - Product standard, performance characteristics - Part 1: Windows and external pedestrian doorsets, Berlin: DIN Media GmbH, 2016