International standards help remove trade barriers, support regulatory convergence at international level and limit protectionism. They allow companies to establish worldwide partnerships and sell their products or services globally. The use of international standards facilitates access to global markets, fosters interoperability of products and enhances international competitiveness.
International aspects of standardisation policy
- What the Commission does - the Commission's policy aims at aligning European standards as much as possible with international standards adopted by the recognised International Standardisation Organisations ISO, IEC and ITU. This primacy of international standardisation means that European standards should be based on international standards whenever possible.
- Cooperative agreements - the European Standardisation Organisations CEN, CENELEC and ETSI are encouraged to closely link European and international standardisation. The 2 main agreements are
- the Vienna Agreement between the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN)
- the Frankfurt Agreement between the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC).
Actions supporting standardisation on the international stage
The standards policy unit of the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs coordinates standardisation aspects in Commission dialogues and negotiations with non-EU countries.
Standardisation issues are monitored in all current negotiations related to the EU's future enlargement, the European Neighbourhood policy and the Agreements on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of industrial products (ACAAs) with non-EU countries enjoying Association Agreements with the EU.
Several EU-financed projects also aim at enhancing cooperation with non-EU countries, in particular
- European standardisation experts seconded to India (SESEI – Seconded European Standardisation Expert in India) and China (SESEC – Seconded European Standardisation Expert in China
- InDiCo Global, an initiative to shape the intersection of digital transformation and global standards
- The African Trade Competitiveness and Market Access Programme, a collaborative initiative established in partnership between the European Union and its Member States, the African Union and five of its Regional Economic Communities