Establishment and Development of Croatian Quality Control System for Wood-Based Panels in Accordance with European Technical Regulations

After reaching its independence, Croatia's (CRO) main economic goal was to enter the international market and join the European Union (EU). As foreign trade relations developed, it was necessary to establish a quality control system for wood-based panels. The development of the quality system started at the Stale Office for Standardization and Metrology (SOSM). The Faculty of Forestry was intensively involved in all activities related to the establishment of the quality system, such as the establishment of testing laboratories, education, certification, quality control, work in technical committees, and special activities were directed towards the implementation of technical regulations in wood technology practice. The system was first introduced by the Order of obligatory certification of particleboard panels for general use and construction (Official Gazette "Sl. list" 61/83), based on laws of the former state. In accordance with the Order in 1995 SOSM authorized the Faculty of Forestry for conducting the certification of particleboards. The Ministry of Economy was also included in the development of the system in areas not covered by the Order and regulations under SOSM's jurisdiction. In the field of wood-based panels, a respectable system was built by the end of 1998. The next step was the preparation of technical regulations with the implementation of harmonized European standards. However for reasons beyond understanding, the system completely collapsed, and in early 2004 it practically ceased to exist. The Ministry of Economy and the Croatian Government abolished all decisions on quality control of wood-based panels, except the obligatorily certification of particleboards performed by SOSM, and it stopped its activities in 2003. The Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction (MEPPPC), as the competent institution, took over the certification of particleboards after a whole year of lack of any quality control of wood-based panels, and implemented the European standards for particleboards into technical regulations for construction. However the certification of particleboards is still pet:fin-tiled in accordance with standards of the former state. In the attempt to enact the Technical Regulation for wood-based panels, initiated by the Ministry of Regional Development, Forestry and Water Management (MRDFWM), no consensus was reached, due to the application of wood-based panels both in the area of general use and in the field of construction.