This European Standard specifies the performance requirements which external blinds shall fulfil when fitted to a building. It deals also with the significant hazards for construction, transport, installation, operation and maintenance of the external blinds (see list of significant machine hazards in annex B). It applies to all external blinds as well as similar products whatever their design and nature of the materials used, as follows and defined in EN 12216: folding arm awning, trellis arm awning, pivot arm awning, slide arm awning, vertical roller awning, marquisolette, façade awning, skylight awning, conservatory awning, Dutch awning, insect screen; solar screen. This European Standard does not cover the wind resistance of fixed nor semi-fixed products, e. g. Dutch awnings, fixed or mobile and solar screen. They are not exempt from wind resistance requirements although no test methods have been established at the present time. The products covered by this European Standard may be operated manually, with or without compensating springs or by means of electric motors (power operated products). This document is not applicable to external blinds which are manufactured before the date of publication of this document. Noise aspects are not treated in the standard because this is not considered a safety issue.