Interview with the new Chair of the EOTA Technical Board, María Bento (ITeC, Spain)

Maria Bento ©EOTA

Interview with the new Chair of the EOTA Technical Board, María Bento (ITeC, Spain)

At its last meeting on April 8, 2025, the EOTA General Assembly elected María Bento (ITeC, Spain), as the new Chair of the Technical Board. We wanted to take this opportunity to talk to her about her new role, the new Construction Products Regulation and the future of the ETA route to CE marking.

Interviewer: Elisabeth Bata, Austrian Institute of Construction Engineering

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Elisabeth: María, we are delighted that you have accepted our invitation to this interview and would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you once again on your appointment. As not all of our readers are familiar with the European Organization for Technical Assessments (EOTA), please explain the main tasks of the EOTA Technical Board. Who can attend the meetings of the Technical Board?

María: Thank you very much for the invitation and for your congratulations. The EOTA Technical Board plays a central role in steering all technical matters within EOTA, in particular in relation to the European Assessment Documents (EAD) and European Technical Assessments (ETA). It also coordinates the work of the EOTA Project Teams (PTs) and Technical Working Groups (WGs) and monitors their progress. In terms of participation, the Technical Assessment Bodies (TABs) are the main participants. In addition, representatives of the European Commission and industry can also attend the TB meetings as observers.

Elisabeth: EOTA’s members and observers come from different countries and institutions, which gives the organization a unique diversity – both geographically and in terms of technical expertise. Why is this diversity so important and what advantages does it bring?

María: Diversity makes us stronger. Our members come from different member states and have different backgrounds. They bring a wide variety of perspectives and experiences resulting from the respective national regulations. This is a great help in the development of European Assessment Documents for very different innovative products and their areas of application. In this way, we ensure that our documents are used not only in Europe, but also beyond. Diversity brings better ideas and more balanced decisions.

Elisabeth: The new Construction Products Regulation (CPR) came into force on January 8, 2025 and applies – with some exceptions – 12 months later. What impact will this regulation have on EOTA’s work and what are your priorities as the new TB Chair to ensure a smooth transition to the new CPR?

María: The new Construction Products Regulation will have a significant impact on the activities of EOTA and the entire internal market for construction products. As far as the ETA route is concerned, the core of the existing procedure remains. However, we are moving towards a more digital approach and integrating detailed sustainability features. Both aspects offer great opportunities. They also influence how we create our documents, how transparent the process should be and how we ensure traceability and digitalization. My priority is to help us all adapt, provide clear guidance and ensure that we continue to deliver ETAs smoothly to the market while complying with the new legal framework. This transition is very important for EOTA and even more important for the industry, which is literally in the driver’s seat on the ETA route.

Elisabeth: The ETA route is a reliable and successful route to CE marking, even though it is voluntary. According to the EOTA annual report, the TABs issued a total of 1,478 ETAs in 2024 and 15,005 ETAs in total in Europe and worldwide. How do you see the role of the ETA in the new CPR in addition to the harmonized standards?

María: ETAs will also play a very important role under the new CPR. Not all products will be able to comply with the harmonized technical specifications. The ETA route offers innovative products a path to CE marking. The industry needs flexibility and solutions that are adapted to specific cases. The ETA route will continue to offer this and I see it as an important addition to the harmonized technical specifications now and in the future.

Elisabeth: You have years of experience with the EOTA route and its bureaucracy. If you had the opportunity to improve one aspect of the ETA process under the new CPR, what would it be?

María: Interesting question! If I could improve anything, it would be to make the process simpler and quicker. Sometimes the process can be a bit too complex and lengthy, which makes it difficult, especially for smaller manufacturers. We are already working on digital tools and better guidance to make it easier to create and understand EADs and ETAs, and I think that’s exactly the right way to go.

Elisabeth: Thank you very much for your time! We look forward to a successful collaboration.