During the EP plenary session (11-14 September 2017) in Strasbourg,&nbsp;MEPs debate on fire safety in buildings. Statements by Elzbieta BIENKOWSKA, Member of the EC in charge of Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Matti MAASIKAS, Estonian Deputy Minister for EU Affairs, Ivan STEFANEC, Dita CHARANZOVA (ALDE, SK) and Emma McCLARKIN (ECR, UK).

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

MAASIKAS, Matti (EE)

BIEŃKOWSKA, Elżbieta (PL, EC)

McCLARKIN, Emma (ECR, UK)

ŠTEFANEC, Ivan (EPP, SK)

Fire safety in buildings: extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (English), El&#380;bieta BIE&#323;KOWSKA, Member of the EC in charge of Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, The European Union&rsquo;s role is to make sure that constructions products which have the necessary performance requested in given EU Member States are not rejected. To enable this, the European Union sets common testing methods for specific products, not their safety requirements. Thanks to this, Member States set their own safety requirements for buildings.

SOUNDBITE (English), El&#380;bieta BIE&#323;KOWSKA, Member of the EC in charge of Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, The European Union Member States remain responsible for setting the level of fire safety in buildings on their territory and to enforce their building regulations. We have no proof for now that national rules are not achieving this today. The Commission is examining new issues like smoke toxicity and the fire behaviour of fa&ccedil;ades, and it evaluates the functioning of the internal market for construction products. We will act if EU intervention is needed. But not more than what is necessary to ensure the Single Market of construction product.

SOUNDBITE (English), Matti MAASIKAS, Estonian Deputy Minister for EU Affairs, Outside the legislative work, the Estonian Presidency supports the forthcoming platform of information and exchange on fire safety issues. This is an initiative that has already been prepared by the Commission for some months, and that should fit well with other initiative underway.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ivan &#352;TEFANEC, I think that the European Union Commission should urgently change the approach to fa&ccedil;ade testing and mandate CN to develop one harmonized large scale test for fa&ccedil;ades. This large scale test needs to be designed to reflect real fire conditions to properly evaluate the performance of fa&ccedil;ades in fire.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dita CHARANZOV&#193; (ALDE, SK), For too long we have said this is an issue of national competence. But while the devastation of fire might be local, the source of what is burning is not: every part of your house from the walls to the furniture inside are products of the Single Market. And therefore national action alone will not increase the fire safety in the EU. The time has come for the creation of a fire strategy for Europe.

SOUNDBITE (English), Emma McCLARKIN (ECR, UK), Prevention must be the priority going forward, which can only happen through the rigorous enforcement of the existing rules relating to the design construction and the maintenance of buildings. I hope that Member States and the Commission are able to work with the industry and the necessary organisations and representatives to find the solutions to make the Grenfell tragedy the last.