Standard Practice

30 Aug 2011

Shane Fitzgerald

At the start of June, the Commission proposed a series of legislative and non-legislative measures to improve standardisation procedures for products, services and production processes in the EU. This might not seem the most exciting of policies, but standardisation is a vital element of a competitive and sustainable economy.

For example, an early success of the EU's standardisation drive has been the delivery of a common mobile phone charger based on a European standard. This has obvious benefits for consumers and the environment. Looking to the future, the Commission notes that a mass diffusion of electric cars will not happen without common standards for their recharge.

The package includes measures aimed at the following:

- More international standards in those economic sectors where Europe is a global leader.

- More European standards for services, which are seldom benchmarked to the same degree as products.

- Better and faster recognition of evolving standards in ICT. By embedding these standards into EU policies, legislation and public procurement, the EU hopes to stimulate innovation, cut administrative overheads and encourage interoperability between devices, applications, services and networks.

- Enhanced cooperation with the leading industrial standardisation organisations in Europe. Encouraging businesses to adopt industry standards means that consumers will have a broader choice at a lower price.

- Ensuring that European standards are drafted with the help of organisations representing those concerned, including consumers, small businesses, environmental and social organisations.

The package comprises a legislative component as well as a range of non-legislative recommendations and actions. There is lots more detail here and the full communication can be downloaded here. Euractiv carries an overview of some of the political issues and implications here.

 

This content forms part of the E View project, which is part-funded by DG Communication of the European Parliament. 

 

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