TRILOGUES ON CPR AND ESPR – CEMBUREAU POSITION
A coherent legal framework is needed to develop low-carbon cement standards
CEMBUREAU, the European Cement Association (www.cembureau.eu), welcomes the General Approach of the EU Council reached on 30 June 2023, and the first reading position adopted by the
European Parliament on 11 July 2023 on the revision of the Construction Product Regulation (CPR).
Both institutions uphold the European Commission proposal and retain cement in the scope of the CPR (recital 28). They acknowledge that, unlike other intermediary products, cement is exclusively used in construction and should therefore be covered by the CPR and not the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (EPSR). As highlighted in CEMBUREAU’s previous position paper, such distinction is crucial to provide legal certainty to the sector and facilitate the deployment of lowcarbon standards planned under the CPR.
However, CEMBUREAU would like to draw the trilogue negotiators’ attention to amendments
28 and 132 of the European Parliament’s first reading position on the ESPR. Those amendments disregard the clear path that has been set by the Commission for the development of low-carbon cement standards through the CPR and should not be supported.
Our industry recognises the urgency of reducing our CO2 emissions, as shown in CEMBUREAU Carbon Neutrality Roadmap. A large number of innovation projects are currently being deployed by the cement sector to reduce its CO2 emissions and CEMBUREAU has been long calling for a wellfunctioning standardisation process to bring low-carbon cements to the market1.
Crucially, the suggested amendments disregard the ongoing process to establish low-carbon cement standards through the CPR:
▪ The so-called CPR Acquis process for cement is currently ongoing under the leadership of DG GROW and is foreseen to end in the third quarter of 2024.
▪ Following this process, a new standardisation request for cement will be issued by the European Commission in 2025.
▪ The standards will be elaborated by the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN). Notably, the incompressible CEN timing to issue a standard is minimum of two years, which raises doubts on the achievability of the 2027 deadline set by amendment 132.
▪ Furthermore, the European Commission has explained in several Parliamentary hearings that it will ensure the CPR is as environmentally ambitious as the ESPR.
CEMBUREAU therefore urges CPR and ESPR trilogue negotiators to:
• Oppose amendments 28 and 132 of the Parliament’s first reading position during the ESPR trilogue negotiations;
• Endorse the work initiated by the Commission and cement stakeholders in the acquis process for cement, which will lead to a new standardisation request, and the standardisation activities that will be undertaken from 2025 in CEN.
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Contact:
Jean-Baptiste Gomes
Senior Public Affairs Manager
jb.gomes@cembureau.eu
