In early 2010, the European Commission initiated a process to review the European Standardization System through an open consultation. All interested parties and stakeholders were invited to provide written comments to the Commission so that it could gain an understanding of stakeholders’ views on the European Standardization System, as well as gather opinions and suggestions on the potential avenues the Commission should explore in order to shape future proposals.

With more than 1,500 individual members from Europe, ASTM International welcomed the opportunity to provide comments to help modify and develop the existing standardization framework of Europe to bring additional benefits to all stakeholders.  

For their part, ASTM International commented that European consumers and industry would benefit more fully from the ability to choose international standards from multiple sources, provided such standards meet international criteria established by the World Trade Organization.  Under this approach, stakeholders may choose standards that most closely fit their specific requirements, most efficiently cut manufacturing costs, and that  contain the most advanced technology.

For regulators, multiple sources of international standards also provide flexibility and a wider range of portfolios from which they may match existing or developing standards with specific legislative or regulatory goals.  Most importantly, enterprises and regulators may make their choices based not only on the source of the standard, i.e., its organization or process, but also on its actual qualities, i.e., the excellence of its technical content and its relevance to world market conditions. This would allow the European industry, as well as consumers, to choose and make use of a much wider range of high quality international standards as well as reducing the time and money spent in developing equivalents.

ASTM International’s comments may be found on the website of the European Commission Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry at: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/european-standards/files/public-consultation/public-consultation-replies/astm_21052010_en.pdf

The comments of other organizations and individuals may be found at:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/european-standards/public-consultation/results-public-consultation_en.htm

For more information, please contact Jeff Grove, Vice President, Global Policy and Industry Affairs, ASTM International (phone: +1-202-223-8505; jgrove@astm.org).

For more information about global affairs at ASTM International, visit www.astm.org/GLOBAL.

October2010