25 Standardisation
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13830/04
COM(04) 674
+ ADD 1
| Commission Communication on the role of European standardisation in the framework of European policies and legislation
Commission Staff Working Document: The challenges for European standardisation
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| Legal base | — |
| Department | Trade and Industry
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| Basis of consideration | Minister's letter of 30 November 2004
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| Previous Committee Report | HC 42-xxxvi (2003-04), para 7 (10 November 2004)
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| To be discussed in Council | Not known
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared
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Background
25.1 Standardisation is a largely voluntary process carried out
within independent organisations. It establishes standards, mostly
technical, which, as the International Organisation for Standardisation
(ISO) says, "contribute to making the development, manufacturing
and supply of products and services more efficient, safer and
cleaner". At the national level standards are promoted by
National Standards Boards — in the UK British Standards,
part of the global BSI (British Standards Institution) Group.
In Europe standards are promoted principally by the European Committee
for Standardisation (CEN) (including, for the UK, British Standards),
the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC)
and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).
These three are the European Standards Organisations (ESOs).
At the international level, in addition to the ISO, are the International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the standardisation branch
of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
25.2 The ESOs establish European Standards which
member National Standards Boards are committed to adopt. European
Standards can form the basis of the Community's harmonisation
Directives, but only the "essential requirements" of
European Standards are made obligatory and they are formulated
in general terms. In 2002, the Council asked the Commission to
review the objectives, scope and needs of European standardisation
policy.
25.3 The Commission Communication and the supporting
working paper are the response to the Council's request. The
Commission claims that the European standardisation system has
proved a successful tool for the completion of the Single Market
for goods. But it concludes that there is room for improvement,
and the Communication recommends that the Community should make
more extensive use of European standardisation in policies and
legislation, improve the efficiency, coherence and visibility
of European standardisation and of its institutional framework
and develop and promote the role of European standardisation in
the context of globalisation.
25.4 Specifically the Commission recommends action
to:
- continue to make more extensive
use of European standardisation in European policies and legislation,
particularly by increasing the knowledge of decision-makers of
Member States with respect to the advantages of European standardisation
in support of Community legislation and policies;
- improve the efficiency, coherence and visibility
of European standardisation and of its institutional framework,
including by creating a legal basis for the financing of European
standardisation and a revision of the standards part of Directive
98/34 (the Technical Standards and Regulations Directive); and
- promote international standards drawn up by the
international standardisation bodies (ISO, IEC, ITU) and support
their transposition in the Community, ensure international standards
are consistent with the objectives of Community policies and publicise
European standardisation as a driver in international standardisation
and an enhancement of Community competitiveness in the world.
25.5 When we considered this document we recognised
the importance of standardisation and of promoting it as a tool
in the interests of both business and consumers. But we asked
the Government to let us have:
- details of draft Council Conclusions
on standardisation which had been referred to;
- a comment on the Commission's suggestion that
there should be a legal basis for the financing of European standardisation;
and
- an explanation of exactly what the concept of
standardisation applies to in the context of this Commission Communication
and of the use of European Standards in harmonisation.
The Minister's letter
25.6 The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for
Science and Innovation, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord
Sainsbury) sends us the draft Council Conclusions. These:
- invite and encourage interested
parties, especially the European standardisation organisations,
to facilitate, improve and expand standardisation and the setting
of standards;
- recommend a range of further actions in relation
to a more extensive use of European standardisation in European
policies and legislation, improving the efficiency, coherence
and visibility of European standardisation and its institutional
framework, and promoting European standardisation in a "globalised
world"; and
- ask the Commission to draw up an action plan
to further the document's recommendations, to monitor the plan's
implementation and to report further at an appropriate time.
25.7 The Minister says of these Conclusions:
"The draft Conclusions have general
acceptance and are in line with our thinking but are subject to
scrutiny reserves and further reflection on some of the specific
issues."
25.8 In relation to a legal base for financing standardisation
the Minister comments:
"The Commission has an implicit legal
authority for its funding of European standardisation through
various Directives relating to individual product sectors (such
as Directives relating to machinery, pressure equipment, toys
etc) and, in particular, Directive 98/34/EC (as amended) laying
down a procedure for the provision of information in the field
of technical standards and regulations. The view of the Commission
is that it is desirable to provide, in one single legislative
measure, the authority for the financing (within its agreed budget)
of European standardisation. The Government considers that the
Commission's financing of standardisation should be on a sound
legal basis and accepts that it may be desirable to clarify the
present position and to provide for transparency. However, until
such time as the Commission submits a formal proposal to the Council
(which would, of course, be the subject a separate EM), I cannot
confirm the extent to which the Government would support a specific
proposal."
25.9 As for the meaning of the concept of standardisation
as used in this document and the use of European Standards in
harmonisation the Minister says:
"I regret that the Commission's approach
in separating its thoughts into a Communication and a separate
Staff Working document have not provided clarity.
"The use of harmonised standards has
a long and generally positive history. The 'New Approach' directives
set out the essential requirements (on health or safety for example),
written in general terms, which must be met before products may
be sold in the UK or anywhere else in the European Community.
Harmonised European standards provide the detailed technical information
enabling manufacturers (both in the European Community and elsewhere)
to meet the essential requirements easily, although it remains
open to manufacturers to demonstrate conformity directly to the
essential requirements. The New Approach is considered to have
been a real European success story since its introduction, in
the mid 1980's, to accelerate the preparations for the single
European Market. In its Communication the Commission draws attention
to the fact that since 1998 approximately 20 new legislative acts
and projects have been developed and implemented in which standards
play a supportive role (these relate in particular to ICT, the
environment and consumer protection). Reflecting the role standardisation
can and does play in supporting the key priorities of better regulation
and simplification, the Commission recommends that Europe should
continue to make even more extensive use of European standardisation
in European legislation.
"Whilst a major emphasis of the Communication
is on the role that standardisation can play in providing the
technical detail to support outcome-based European legislation,
it also notes that standardisation plays an important role in
European policies. The development of voluntary harmonised European
standards by business and other interested parties can provide
added value, increase competitiveness and support innovation.
For this reason the thrust of the Commission's Communication is
to recognise the progress that has been made in the increased
use of standards in support of legislation and the continuing
efforts of the European standards bodies to respond to legislative
and market needs; whilst at the same time recommending a number
of steps to further enhance the role of European standardisation.
The Government regards standards as playing an important role
in competitiveness and welcomes the Commission's initiative. As
I indicated in the EM, we support the development of an Action
Plan to carry forward the detailed recommendations and I would
be happy to keep the Committee informed of future developments."
Conclusion
25.10 We are grateful to the Minister for this
further information. We note that there may be legislative and
other proposals for us to consider at a later stage. Meanwhile
we clear this document.
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