EU approaches to Standards and Conformity and Harmonisation Stefano Soro

1. EU approaches to Standards and Conformity and Harmonisation Stefano Soro

2. 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

3. Essential requirements and standards interplay • 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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