Natural Stones from EU - Denomination Criteria Standard: A Review

ABSTRACT: Harmonization is vital in the European Union. It is mainly applied to materials, processes, products and services. However, it is also crucial for other domains. An example of this is the denomination of natural stones. It is important that denomination meets strict criteria to promote natural stone Market, as well as their products in the imperative new “Construction Products Regulation (CPR)”. This was the purpose behind the development and recent revision of EN 12440. However, the important role that was intended for this standard in the natural stone sector was never fully achieved, due to the vague and unobjective way in which the denomination criteria were laid down. This review aims to analyse the standard, pointing out what needs to be harmonized, and to present concrete proposals for its improvement, so that the standard can fully perform its purpose.