Concrete is the dominant building material worldwide, with over half of its production being ready-mix concrete manufactured regionally and delivered within a 20-kilometre radius. Current plans by the EU Commission envision a Europe-wide standardisation of concrete norms, an initiative viewed critically in Bavaria by both the economy and political sphere.
Bavarian Construction Minister Christian Bernreiter expressed concerns regarding this standardisation. He highlighted that ready-mix concrete cures quickly, making Europe-wide transport or standardisation of norms unnecessary. The established German system of concrete standards, which has proven highly functional, would have to undergo complex adjustments due to this measure. This process would take several years.
Bernreiter warned that the resulting significant additional costs could threaten the existence of smaller building material manufacturers and that construction would become more expensive overall. The process to harmonise European concrete standards was initiated by the EU Commission as part of the new EU Construction Products Regulation. Concrete requirements vary significantly within the European Union, due to diverse climatic conditions.
The Bavarian Construction Minister explained that these differences cannot be reflected in a single harmonised standard. As ready-mix concrete is a semi-finished construction product, the final performance characteristics cannot be fully determined at the time of delivery. While the EU Commission aims to create an innovation-friendly environment through harmonisation, Bernreiter anticipates the opposite.
An EU-wide regulation would make rapid adjustments to new technical developments more difficult, as every change would require a lengthy coordination process at the European level. This would prove the planned centralisation to be innovation-hostile. Expert arguments have evidently not been considered in Brussels so far.
According to Bernreiter, the EU's interference in the functioning German system contradicts the principle of subsidiarity. He urged the EU Commission to halt the costly standardisation process to prevent further increases in construction costs through a new flood of standards.
