CEN and CENELEC EU-US Trade Talks

BRUSSELS – In view of the fact that issues related to the acceptance and recognition of standards are of key importance in the context of trade talks between the European Union and the United States, CEN and CENELEC have provided the European Commission with clarification on the differences between the European and American systems for developing and adopting standards, and the valuable role played by the international standardization organizations (ISO and the IEC).
The European Union and the United States have started negotiations with the aim of reaching agreement on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). According to the European Commission, the TTIP talks should lead to the conclusion of an ambitious agreement on technical barriers to trade, which may include the alignment and/or mutual acceptance of certain standards. This is necessary for opening-up trade which will bring benefits to both sides in terms of growth and jobs.
The Director General of CEN and CENELEC, Elena Santiago Cid, has written to the European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, Vice-President Antonio Tajani (responsible for Industry and Entrepreneurship), and Commissioner Karel De Gucht (responsible for Trade). In her open letter, she highlights the on-going cooperation between the European and American standardization systems, and underlines CEN and CENELEC’s joint commitment to promoting the international alignment of standards.
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The European Standardization Organizations (CEN, CENELEC and ETSI) are determined to advance transatlantic cooperation on standards-related issues, and regularly engage in dialogue with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). In her open letter, Mrs Santiago refers to the cooperation between the European and American standardization communities that has already been initiated in specific sectors, such as ‘Smart Grids’ for the transmission of electrical power, and electric vehicles (among others).
The Director General of CEN and CENELEC emphasizes the fact that European Standards are developed in an open process which ensures the active engagement of industry and other stakeholders. “Many companies from around the globe have offices in Europe and actively contribute to the development of European Standards,” she writes.
Regarding the relationship between regulation and standardization at European level, Mrs Santiago explains that: “The link between European legislation and European standards is clear and predictable; it enables all stakeholders to know in advance which standards are likely to be referenced in EU legislation.”
CEN and CENELEC continue to pursue their long-standing cooperation with the international standards bodies ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission). The Director General of CEN and CENELEC notes that “no new European Standard is developed if an international standard, published by ISO or IEC, meets the requirements of the European market.”
“In CEN and CENELEC, we fully appreciate and respect the differences between the European and US standardization systems,” writes Mrs Santiago. “We are committed to developing efficient and consistent mechanisms to facilitate transatlantic cooperation on standards-related matters. These will support an expected increase in transatlantic trade flows. We work towards this ambitious goal in full coordination with our US counterparts, based on a shared vision that both sides will benefit from the exercise. Success will come from working on common strengths rather than highlighting differences.”
ABOUT CEN & CENELEC
CEN (European Committee for Standardization) and CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization) work to promote the international alignment of standards in the framework of technical cooperation agreements with ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission).
CEN collaborates with ISO in the framework of the Vienna Agreement (signed in 1991), whilst CENELEC collaborates with the IEC in the framework of the Dresden Agreement (signed in 1996). The result of this collaboration is that 42% of European Standards (and other technical documents) published by CEN and CENELEC are identical to international standards published by ISO or the IEC (31% of CEN standards are identical to ISO standards, 69% of CENELEC standards are identical to IEC standards).