Standardization and Regulations in the EU/EFTA UNECE Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies Geneva, 26 November 2014 CEN-CENELEC
Content Basic facts about CEN and CENELEC Standards and Legislation in Europe - Key principles & concepts Sustainability of the European System CEN-CENELEC 2014-2
Basic facts about CEN and CENELEC, two European Standards Organizations CEN-CENELEC 2014-3
About CEN & CENELEC 33 Members National standardization bodies from EU + EFTA and beyond Affiliates (neighbouring countries) 17 for CEN, 14 for CENELEC Partner Standardization Bodies 3 for CEN; 1 for CENELEC Partner organizations 8 for CEN, 10 for CENELEC Other liaisons at technical level 100+ organizations Members Affiliates CEN-CENELEC 2014-4
Main principles of the European Standardization System Clear regulatory framework (EC Regulation 1025/2012) + Facilitation of compliance with European legislation and market access + National delegation principle + Standstill obligation & National commitment + Prevention of overlaps and duplication of efforts with IEC/ISO Effective use of stakeholders resources Inclusiveness of the system Coherence of the regional market Full support to global trade CEN-CENELEC 2014-5
European Legal and Policy Framework Implementation of standardization throughout Europe: facilitate exchange of goods, information & services eliminate existing barriers and avoid new ones promote competitiveness and foster innovation ensure a large unified European market at international level: facilitate world trade position Europe in the global market, supporting ISO/IEC Increase the role of European standards aligned with ISO/IEC) in support of trade and negotiations with third countries CEN-CENELEC 2014-6
Standards and Legislation in Europe Key principles & concepts CEN-CENELEC 2014-7
Essential principles Legal framework for standardization in Europe: EU Regulation 1025/2012 CEN, CENELEC (and ETSI) = only entities authorized to publish and offer European Standards (ENs) CEN & CENELEC support the primacy of international (i.e. ISO/IEC) standards, always the preferred option Harmonized standard = EN supporting EU legislation, developed on the basis of a standardization request European standards = voluntary European standards = market driven CEN-CENELEC 2014-8
Key characteristics of Harmonized standards Developed under the normal CEN & CENELEC procedures As a consensus document, voted through the national delegation principle (EN = Regional!!) Taking in account all stakeholders (businesses, including SMEs, Consumers, Environment, Workers, ) Assessed against the requirements of the Directive/Legislation and/or standardization request => can provide presumption of conformity with EU harmonization legislation essential requirements As for all ENs => no conflicting standard in 33 countries (600 million consumers) => powerful support to avoiding/removing TBTs CEN-CENELEC 2014-9
Developments since the last meeting First year experience with EU Regulation 1025/2012 First report on Regulation 1025/2012 Independent review launched by EC Standardization cooperation with several partners in support of Regulations (and involvement in Regulatory and Trade dialogues): Rosstandart JISC SCC ANSI (TTIP) SAC CEN-CENELEC 2014-10
Advantages of the European system Transparency Clear regulatory framework and full respect of WTO TBT Principles Coherence Clear allocation of sectors (CEN/CLC/ETSI), coordination when potential overlap No standard conflicting with ENs in 33 countries Predictability Standardization requests drafted after a public consultation, in coordination between regulators and standardizers => Stakeholders know when & where to contribute, in advance! Inclusiveness Obligation to encourage/facilitate participation of SMEs & other stakeholder categories (both for CEN, CENELEC and their Members) + home-grown initiatives CEN-CENELEC 2014-11
Sustainability of the European System CEN-CENELEC 2014-12
Copyrights and exploitation rights CEN and CENELEC... Retain the copyright on the documents (EN, TS, CWA...) produced Members enjoy the related exploitation rights to sell, distribute...! Enforce protection of their copyright worldwide (cf. CEN-CENELEC Guide 10) Standards are widely accessible - example of the construction sector: CEN-CENELEC Guide 28 Guidelines for the public access of Eurocodes and their National Annexes and Harmonized European Standards under the Construction Products Regulation CEN-CENELEC 2014-13
Standards and Regulations Regulations Are mandatory Paying for regulations is also mandatory They are not free: you pay for them through taxation Standards Are voluntary Paying for standards is also voluntary Standards are not free, but you only pay for them if you wish to use them CEN-CENELEC 2014-14
Conclusion Standards are mainly funded by industry (marketdriven) Voluntary standards support Effective smart and better regulation But standards need to remain private to maintain this market-driven approach, support innovation and maintain the sustainability of the system Standards are widely accessible but have a cost that has to be recovered CEN-CENELEC 2014-15
Contact: Eric Marchand CEN-CENELEC Programme Manager International Cooperation emarchand@cencenelec.eu CEN-CENELEC 2014-16