EU approaches to Standards and Conformity and Harmonisation Stefano Soro

European Single Market The free movement of goods is a cornerstone of the Single European Market. Need to protect health and safety of users, consumers, workers, their property and the environment Over 500 million consumers

Essential requirements in Directives (law) – state the desired outcome without specifying how it should be achieved For consumer products not otherwise regulated, the General Product Safety Directive provides the general principle without being prescriptive European Standards specify how to meet essential requirements The EU entrusts independent standardisation bodies with developing standards Standards are voluntary but, if the reference is published in Official Journal, presumption of conformity Essential requirements and standards interplay

Process Anyone who has a need can propose business, manufacturers, buyers, users, consumers, regulators, NGOs etc. If the EU wants to develop a standard, it gives a mandate to one of the EU standardisation bodies (CEN, CENELEC or ETSI) to carry out the work Volunteers and technical experts draft Coordinated through national members (can include reps from industry, SMEs, consumer organisations, environmentalists, users etc.) Work done in technical committees

Why is a European Standard so valuable? Shaped by those who contribute Open and transparent process Market driven Representation of all interested parties Reached through agreement 1 European Standard = 31 national standards = access to a market of 500 million people

Safety requirements identified under GPSD – next areas of standardisation in 2012 Chair-mounted seats, children’s chairs, table-mounted chairs Alcohol-powered flueless fireplaces Cycle trailers Candles Infant swings, baby bouncers Activity centres Slings, soft carriers Laser products

Key societal challenges for the future Consumer protection Improved accessibility of disabled and elderly people Climate change Resource efficiency Security and civil protection Protection of personal data and individuals’ privacy

Industrial Policy and Innovation Clarifying and strengthening the relationship between standardisation and research Increased speed of standardisation Financial support to the ESOs tied to their efficiency

Inclusive standards development process Nowadays not all SMEs and societal stakeholders are sufficiently represented in the standardisation process The Commission will continue to financially support the participation of SMEs and societal stakeholders in European standardisation The Commission invites the Member States, the ESOs and the national standards bodies to try to accommodate the needs of all stakeholders

Services sector Although the EU economy is relying more and more on services, European standardisation in this field is lagging behind Standards have a great potential to improve interoperability and quality of services => the wish is to use standardisation to support a single market for services in the same way as it is supporting the single market for goods

Standards to increase EU competitiveness Standards increase global exchanges Primacy of international standards European standards should resemble international ones as much as possible, and home-grown standards should be prepared only when international ones are lacking Proactive and leading role in the international standards bodies

International cooperation Main channel: ISO Novelty: The European Commission, together with product safety authorities from Australia, Canada and the US has launched a pilot project to find consensus on safety requirements The pilot project covers selected products which can be dangerous for children: corded window coverings, chair-top booster seats, baby slings Currently staff discussions ongoing, with possible proposals to their agencies for endorsement