EUROPEAN STANDARDS

Euro norms

Euro codes
CE mark

National Annexes
NDPs

Default Values

Is that all clear?

Harmonised Standards
SR
SRs
PDs

NCCIs

EN 12345

European Directives
EC3
MCDRW Overview

EUROPEAN STANDARDS
Hundreds if not Thousands of European Standards are produced by
CEN Committees
Most of these are product standards, often referred to as Euro
Euro Norms or
Normative Standards,
Standards, EN 12345
In general these have the same status in Ireland as any British,
American or Australian Standard - simply
p y a way
y of specifying
p
y ga
standardised product
Choosing to specifying European Standards opens the market to
suppliers throughout Europe, and increasingly suppliers throughout the
world, who choose to produce to European Standards

HARMONISED STANDARDS
EU Commission has introduced various Directives which introduce
mandatory rules that each state must bring into law

Construction P
Products
roducts Directive seeks to ensure open trade throughout
Europe within the Construction Industry

Under these Directives certain European Standards are given the status
of Harmonised Standards making it mandatory that these be accepted by
Public Sector clients throughout Europe, and that any equivalent
National Standards are withdrawn

HARMONISED STANDARDS
Examples of Harmonised Standards include:

EN 206 Concrete
Currently in force
EN 1317 Safety Barriers
Mandatory from Jan 2011

EN 13108 Bituminous Mixtures

Currently in force/ imminent

HARMONISED STANDARDS
Many Harmonised Standards include an Annex ZA. Products
produced in accordance with these Harmonised Standards and
accredited as such can be marketed under a CE mark

Most EU countries have made it illegal to market a product that does

not bear a CE mark, once the standard becomes mandatory

Ireland is one of four EU countries that have opted out of mandatory

CE marking,
g, but Harmonised Standards must still be applied
pp
in Public
Procurement

EURO CODES
Euro Codes are another subsub-set of European Standards, related to
Design rather than products

Euro codes are Harmonised Standards, and as such become

mandatory
y in March 2010

There are ten Euro Codes , many of which are split into multiple parts

These ten design standards have been the numbers EN 1990

1990,
EN1991...EN1999, and are commonly referred to as EC
EC1
1, EC2
EC2...
...EC9
EC9

EURO CODES

EURO CODES

EURO CODES

EURO CODES

NATIONAL ANNEXES
Euro codes permit national variations within certain limitations to suit
local practice and environments, know as Nationally Defined
Parameters or NDP
NDPs
s

NDPs
NDP
s have to be defined within a National Annex to each individual
part of each code

National Annexes have to be published by the National Standards

Organisation, i.e. NSAI.
It is
i nott permitted
itt d to
t use the
th National
N ti
l Annex
A
off one country
t in
i another
th

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NATIONAL ANNEXES
In the absence of a National Annex, the Default Values contained in
the Euro Code must be applied
NSAI have relied on voluntary committees to develop these National
Annexes, occasionally commissioning limited specific studies
NRA volunteered to develop proposals for the annexes to all those
parts that effect road structures and commissioned ROD FM Egis
p
g
to compare the UK National annexes and default values and prepare
draft National Annexes for Ireland
These are currently with NSAI for consideration leading to publication
for public comment and implementation

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NON CONTRADICTORY COMPLIMENTARY INFORMATION

In addition to National Annexes, national standards organisations are

permitted to p
p
publish Non Contradictory
y Complimentary
p
y Information or
NCCIs in relation to any Harmonised Standards, be it a product or
design standard
Applicable NCCIs are listed within the relevant National Annex
NSAI have called these Standard Recommendations or SRs while
BSI have called them Published Documents or PDs
SR28 is the Irish NCCI to EN13108, and is the Irish equivalent of
PD6991

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EUROPEAN STANDARDS
SO NOW YOU KNOW
All Clear?
Structural Designers need to know their Euro Codes,
National Annexes and NCCIs by next March
NRA DMRB and MCDRW will continue to be updated
for consistency with Harmonised European
Standards as they become mandatory and the
relevant Annexes, NCCIs and guidance are
published
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