Sofia inquiry told Malta concrete brick producers lack mandatory CE marking

The Nationalist party candidate Peter Agius has told the Jean Paul Sofia public inquiry that the Maltese government failed to apply EU rules for the CE marking of bricks, adding that most concrete bricks were in breach of EU legislation.

The MEP candidate called out the lack of government implementation of EU standards on safety in the construction industry, in his submissions to the inquiry.

“We joined the EU for higher standards, however the Labour government’s incompetence is depriving us of our EU rights. Government has a guilty conscience when it comes to raising standards in the construction industry as it failed to implement EU rules for construction products including bricks and concrete pre-cast products,” Agius said.

Agius told the inquiry that the EU’s Construction Products legislation which entered into force in 2013, remains a dead letter of the law with little to no implementation in Malta. “Industry sources indicate that out of 11 Maltese brick producers only two have the necessary CE marking,” Agius said.

Agius explained how the European Union in 2013 adopted a regulation on construction products which lays down detailed rules for all construction products including bricks, concrete cast materials and also products to be integrated in the building like aluminium and wooden apertures and any material destined to be fixed in the finished building.

Such materials are supposed to be on the EU market only if they bear the CE marking attesting their safety and their declared performance. 

“Ten years down the line from the entry into force of the EU Regulation, we still have the majority of brick producers in Malta which are still not in line with EU standards in the Regulation, so much so that most products locally do not bear the EU’s CE Mark,” Agius said.

He said this government’s duties on EU laws could not be ignored. “Government cannot neglect its duties to help local industry be competitive and in line with EU standards. Local manufacturers cannot be left alone to secure the compliance of their products with EU rules.

“Other EU governments help their local industry to become compliant with EU rules increasing product safety. In Malta, on the other hand most local manufacturers were left to face expenses and bureaucracy on their own. The outcome of this is that while the EU gives us higher safety standards these remain a dead letter of the law here in Malta.”