The logic behind European regulations may be summed up in two words: requirements and performance. Europe showed its determination in this domain as early as 1976, when it released a guide for clients and project managers. The six key requirements introduced encompassed the obligation for clients to take decisions only after giving due consideration to the notions ofrisk and sustainable development, and after evaluating the socio-economicand legal ramifications of the nature of the order. Standardisation is shifting from description to performance, with choices made on the basis of results rather than means. The opening up of the European market and the application of the principle of identical performance for all Member Stateshave led to the use of a common, representative, coherent technical frameof reference known as the Eurocodes, which constitute the most commonly-used, up-to-date set of operational and scientific technical rules in Europe. The Eurocodes form the basis for the presumption that CE marking constitutes proof of a structure's quality. However, the Eurocodes are more thanmere rules - they are a rich source of enforceable information for use inapproving construction programmes. The Eurocodes components that relate to risks and are of interest to clients are examined in this paper. For thecovering abstract see ITRD E139491.
Abstract