The European Union for technical approval in construction is a de-facto partnership, which brings together, on a voluntary basis, national institutes, centres or organizations that are engaged in the issuing of technical approvals.
UEAtc is a network of European institutes and institutes from neighbouring countries. Its members develop and maintain a proficient voluntary technical approval process supporting innovation in the building and construction sector, share experiences and try to avoid, whenever possible and thanks to a collaborative approach, useless repetition of activities, to the benefit of the stakeholders involved in the process. In addition, the members may carry out other specific activities such as research, testing, certification, development of specifications, etc.
The field of interest of the UEAtc concerns any innovation in construction products and processes.
The purpose of the UEAtc is to reduce barriers of any kind and to increase and promote a scientific approach for the Approval of innovation in the field of construction. This is made by ensuring that in various countries, the results of approval activities may be used as such, recognized or considered equivalent and used by members in the issuing of Approvals. To this end, taking into consideration that the framework within which it operates can be influenced by national, as well as European legal and administrative provisions, UEAtc:
- works in an open and transparent way, according the highest professional ethical standards comprising principles such as independence, impartiality, objectivity and integrity;
- interprets and transforms into operational procedures the expectations of stakeholders concerning technological innovations and their appropriate use in the works, on the basis of a robust technical and scientific expertise and exchanges related information among its member;
- ensures mutual confidence in approvals issued by its members;
- facilitates recognition of assessment results obtained during approval procedures and promotes bilateral and multilateral confirmation of approvals issued by its members;
- pools the results of studies and research of its members and facilitates participation in research organisations;
- anticipates procedures, methods and criteria after having proven the effectiveness of their inspiring principles and having verified and ensured their scientific consistency;
- continues its voluntary support to the establishment of future (European) regulatory framework, based on sound technical and scientific principles; and
- opens and maintains a continuous channel of communications to facilitate exchange of ideas, mutual listening and information among the most representative stakeholders’ associations aimed at identifying and planning activities for reaching solutions to be useful from a scientific, technical and economic point of view.
UEAtc proposes to the market, on a voluntary basis, the capacity of its network of institutes in developing and issuing technical documents, the content of which goes beyond the mere placing of innovative construction products on the market.
UEAtc technical documents are aimed at those stakeholders along the chain that, on various accounts, need to use them in order to construct and/or maintain works, offering them a technical instrument allowing a functional verification aimed at the use in the works, as well as a competent technical information and reliable support to the respective needs, choices or decisions.
Effectiveness, relevance, coherence and technical expertise concerning results are the responses given by UEAtc to what it deems to be the needs of its own stakeholders. UEAtc maintains the appropriate balance between these principles and timely delivery.