European Organisation for Technical Approvals
Encyclopedia
European Organisation for Technical Approvals (EOTA) is an international non-profit association. It was established in 1990 in Belgium
under the provisions of the EC Council Directive of December 21, 1988 relating to construction products (Construction Products Directive 89/106/EEc).
EOTA is composed of organizations nominated by the European Union
, EFTA
, and the European Economic Area
. Typical members are the national standards organization
of each member state.
and can be sold Europe wide.
ETAs are a European alternative to national agrément certificates (for example, the British Board of Agrément
). The first ETA was issued in 1998 by the DIBt
in the Liechtenstein
. The majority of ETAs are issued in Germany
.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
under the provisions of the EC Council Directive of December 21, 1988 relating to construction products (Construction Products Directive 89/106/EEc).
EOTA is composed of organizations nominated by the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, EFTA
EFTA
EFTA may refer to:* European Family Therapy Association, an NGO.* European Fair Trade Association, an association of eleven Fair Trade importers in nine European countries....
, and the European Economic Area
European Economic Area
The European Economic Area was established on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between the member states of the European Free Trade Association and the European Community, later the European Union . Specifically, it allows Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to participate in the EU's Internal...
. Typical members are the national standards organization
Standards organization
A standards organization, standards body, standards developing organization , or standards setting organization is any organization whose primary activities are developing, coordinating, promulgating, revising, amending, reissuing, interpreting, or otherwise producing technical standards that are...
of each member state.
European Technical Approval
EOTA's primary purpose is the drafting of European Technical Approval Guidelines (ETAG) and approving European Technical Approvals (ETA). ETAs are "a favourable technical assessment of its fitness for an intended use", and are designed to reduce technical barriers in the construction products sector throughout Europe. Once a building product has an ETA certificate, it can display the CE markCE mark
CE marking is a mandatory conformity mark for products placed on the market in the European Economic Area . With the CE marking on a product the manufacturer ensures that the product conforms with the essential requirements of the applicable EC directives...
and can be sold Europe wide.
ETAs are a European alternative to national agrément certificates (for example, the British Board of Agrément
British Board of Agrément
The British Board of Agrément is a UK body issuing certificates for construction products and systems and providing inspection services in support of their designers and installers.- Agrément certificate :...
). The first ETA was issued in 1998 by the DIBt
Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik
Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik may be translated as German Institute for Civil Engineering, however, the institute officially does not approve of any translation of its name and wishes to be called only by its original German name. It is an agency of the German , with an office building in Berlin...
in the Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
. The majority of ETAs are issued in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.