The European Parliament

- having regard to the Commission's Green Paper on the Development of European Standardization (COM(90)456 fin.)

- having regard to the Commission's communication on a Global Approach to Certification and Testing (COM(89)209)

- having regard to the report of its Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy (A3-0172/91)

European standardization and the Green Paper

1. Emphasises the central role played by European Standards in helping to develop a fully functioning European internal market without national technical barriers to trade. Considers that the progressive development of European standards will strengthen European industrial competitiveness and efficiency. Welcomes the recent shift in emphasis from national to European standards. Insists that these standards are of a high level, and give priority to health and safety considerations;

2. Recalls, however, that the attempts to introduce European standards by means of direct harmonization at European Community level were generally too slow and controversial. Reiterates, therefore, its support for the "New Approach" to European standardization in which detailed harmonization by the Community is restricted to the minimum and where reliance is placed, wherever possible on the mutual recognition of national standards, on the fixing of essential requirements only at European Community level (with the emphasis on health and safety considerations) and on the subsequent development of implementing European standards on a private and voluntary basis by means of the standards organisations CEN, CENELEC and ETSI;

3. Recognizes, however, that the adoption of an increasing number of framework directives under the New Approach and the impetus of the 1992 internal market process have led to greatly increased demand for the development of such European standards;

4. Considers it to be essential that the previous delays in adopting harmonized European laws are not merely transferred downstream to the voluntary standards-making process;

5. Expresses its strong concern, therefore, that the gap between the demand for and the supply of European standards appears to be widening rapidly;

6. Welcomes the Commission's recent presentation of its Green Paper on standardization, which clearly outlines these problems and sets out some possible solutions. Shares the Commission's concerns and objectives, but has the following observations on the Commission's specific proposals:

- as regards efficiency

7. Considers that the highest importance should be attached to improving the efficiency and longer-term management of the European standards-making process through:

- the setting of clearer priorities for standardization,

- more rigid adherence to established timetables, and the rapid identification of potential delays and problems,

- a reinforcement of longer-term financial planning and commitments,

- longer-term staff planning within the relevant standards bodies,

- the establishment of more precise mandates by the Commission;

8. Believes that the more rapid production of European standards is an important objective, but considers that the quality of standards and their widest possible acceptability are even more important than mere quantity. Further recalls that the standards-making process is a voluntary one, and believes, therefore, that consensus (but not necessarily unanimity) should remain the working rule as far as is possible.Supports, however, the use of majority voting to break deadlocks caused by small minorities. Does not believe that there is any practical value in aligning voting procedures within the European standards organizations to those of the EC Treaty, given the need for wider consensus as regards the voluntary standards-making process;

9. Supports the introduction of the shortest possible delays for public enquiry, and response to comments in the formulation of European standards, consistent, however, with providing the necessary opportunity for public comment by the whole range of interested parties;

10. Supports the wider use of new communications technology to accelerate discussion on working documents but believes that measures must be taken to ensure that this does not unduly favour larger enterprises at the expense of smaller ones. Also considers that the INSIS and TEDIS programmes could play a role in promoting the use of these technologies in the standards-making process;

11. Recognizes that the direct applicability of adopted European standards without waiting for their national transposition could play a considerable role in shortening the process but notes that there are considerable practical objections to such a proposal. Calls upon the Commission to report back with a more detailed analysis of how these practical problems could be overcome, and also whether alternative approaches might not be considered, such as the establishment of a maximum time period (say 3 months) for national transposition, failing which European standards would be directly applicable;

12. Believes that development of a common mark of conformity to European standards instead of having to put separate national marks on the product would be a useful practical step, provided that this is a gradual process, especially in the case of internationally known brands;

13. Considers that there needs to be a more detailed review of the existing system for the production of European standards, examining the adequacy of resources and current management of both the European and national standardization bodies, whether their procedures are sufficiently transparent, whether they are sufficiently open to participation by all interested parties, and whether existing national regulations on standards-making need to be brought more into line within the European Community;

- as regards coordination and structure

14. Believes, pending the conclusions of this more detailed study, that there is no immediate need for a major overhaul of existing structures, but believes that a number of measures could be taken to strengthen coordination of the European standards-making process, and to increase its accountability and transparency;

15. Emphasises the central need for accountability, and of the widest possible participation in the European standards-making process of all interested parties, not just of the standards institutions but also of industrialists, industrial users, trade unions, consumers and environmentalists. Recognizes that the involvement of these groups will continue to be primarily at national level. Insists that this be fully assured in all Member States, but believes that all interested parties should be associated with European level fora as well;

16. Strongly supports, therefore, the establishment of an advisory European Standardization Council with a similar composition to that suggested by the Commission. Considers that this would help in ensuring greater accountability for European standards-making, and act as a useful sounding board as regards the setting of priorities and the resolution of common problems;

17. Notes that CEN, CENELEC and ETSI have established joint coordinating mechanisms, notably the Joint Presidents Group, and believes that these should be reinforced to provide clearer strategic direction. Considers that the coordinating group should be presided by a personality independent of the three organizations or by its current acting president empowered to speak on behalf of the three organizations as a whole. Believes that it is important that there also be adequate procedures to deal with overlapping areas of competence between the three organizations, and also to ensure that decisions are not taken merely on a lowest common denominator basis between CEN, CENELEC and ETSI;

18. Considers that the creation of new European sectoral standards-making organizations at the same level as CEN, CENELEC and ETSI would lead to unnecessary fragmentation of the process and that this should not be encouraged. Believes, however, that the creation of new sectoral organisations, or Associated Standards Bodies, reporting to the existing European organizations could help the latter by reducing some of the initial preparatory work, and by mitigating the financial burden;

19. Recognizes that the different national standards-making bodies within the Community Member States are not equal in terms of resources, nor in terms of their ability to take part in European standards-making. Believes that there is a need for greater involvement in this process not just of the "big three" (DIN, AFNOR, BSI) but also of the smaller countries. Considers, in particular, that Community assistance might be envisaged to facilitate the participation of the peripheral and disadvantaged countries of the Community in the European standards-making process;

20. Believes that the Commission must also play an important role, but that this should not consist of dictating to the standards organizations, who are not part of the Community's institutions, and have other priorities as well. Instead the Commission should:

- indicate the Community's needs in the standards field as clearly and precisely as possible,

- monitor the progress made in developing needed European standards, and identify emerging problems for the Community,

- help in providing information on standards throughout the Community;

- as regards the participation of industry

21. Considers that intensified industrial involvement in European standardization is essential. Believes, in particular, that special measures need to be taken to ensure the greater participation of small and medium sized enterprises in this process, since they do not normally have the resources to be involved at European level;

22. Believes that firms should be given greater financial incentives to participate in European standardization, on the lines of the French scheme of deduction of costs for standardization work;

23. Underlines the need for secure financing on a sufficiently long term basis for European standardization. Recognizes that the bulk of such finance will continue to have to come from the national standards organizations, but believes that it is now appropriate for European standardization organizations to have a certain amount of "own resources", to be obtained by agreement with national standards organizations for part of the revenue from sale of European standards to be directed to European level. Also considers that the European Community should make a firm longer term financial commitment to European standardization, rather than this having to be renegotiated every two or three years and calls for this to be taken into account when the 1992 budget is drawn up;

- as regards information

24. Emphasises the importance of ensuring that there is sufficient information on, and awareness about European standardization, with particular reference to:

- national and European standardization structures and procedures

- adopted European standards, and how they fit in with national standards

- new European standards priorities, the timetable for achieving them, and the current status of the necessary standards work

- the relationship between European and international standards;

25. Considers that Directive 83/189 EEC must continue to play a central role in ensuring transparency of national standards-making, in pointing to problem areas, and in helping to achieve the necessary balance between national and European standards-making. Regrets, however, that the information procedures under the Directive are still not being fully observed, and looks forward to the promised Commission proposal to reinforce the workings of the Directive;

26. Believes that a user-friendly European data base on standardization could play a valuable role, especially in providing information on the present status of European standardization work. Believes, however, that there must be more detailed assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of existing data bases, in order to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort at European level;

27. Calls upon the Commission to cooperate with the European standardization organizations, and with any new European Standardization Council, in helping to draw up an Annual Report on European Standardization, concentrating on overall progress and problems and on the broader strategic issues facing European standardization. Believes that this would help to increase general awareness of the issues involved, and make a valuable contribution to the on-going policy debate;

- as regards third countries

28. Emphasises the vital need not to neglect international standards, in view of the economic significance of European Community exports to third countries, and also of the general importance of an open world economy. Welcomes the proposed intensification of links between the European and international standards organizations (ISO and IEC), and calls for increased openness of standardization at world level on the basis of reciprocal arrangements;

29. Believes that the emerging democracies of Central and Eastern Europe need to be as closely associated as possible with the European standardization process. Welcomes their being granted observer status at CEN, CENELEC and ETSI, and suggests that they also be granted such status in an advisory European Standardization Council. Calls for them to be granted Community technical and financial assistance in order for them to better participate in this process;

30. Calls, moreover, for increased European technical assistance in the standards field for developing countries;

31. Considers that fraudulent use of marks of conformity to European standards for third country products which do not in fact meet those standards (for instance in the toy sector) represents a significant problem for the Community. Calls for tough Community measures to tackle this problem;

Certification and testing

32. Believes that high standard conformity assessment procedures are of central importance in ensuring that products for sale throughout the Community actually do meet adopted European standards or essential requirements of health and safety. Considers that the strengthening of such procedures constitutes a complementary objective to the development of European standards and will play a vital role in the achievement of the internal market;

33. Notes the adoption of the Council Decision of 13 December 1990 setting down the conformity assessment procedures to be used in technical harmonization directives, and expresses its satisfaction at the fact that most of Parliament's amendments were accepted by the Commission and Council. Emphasises, however, that the satisfactory implementation of this Decision is essential. Calls upon the Commission to be vigilant in this regard, paying particular attention to whether too many variants are being introduced in the modules, to whether safety and health is being fully guaranteed, and to the need to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy;

34. Welcomes the recent establishment of the European Organization for Testing and Certification (EOTC) to act as a focal point in Europe for all questions relating to conformity assessment;

35. Notes that there are still great differences within the Community as regards certification, inspection and testing systems. Calls upon the Commission, in cooperation with the EOTC, to evaluate the extent to which these remaining differences impede the achievement of the internal market, and to estimate the degree to which the relevant European, and international, standards for quality assurance and certification, inspection and testing systems are being implemented throughout the Community, and whether they need to be further supplemented by new standards;

36. Considers that the Community's financial resources could be used to help in the development and reinforcement of national certification, inspection and testing procedures in disadvantaged and peripheral regions and countries of the Community. Also calls for the further development of and publicity for mutual recognition agreements within the Community under EOTC auspices;

37. Believes that another important issue relates to whether European notified bodies can subcontract to test houses outside the European Community for the purposes of tests and inspections. Notes that the Council has now permitted this for product testing but requests clarification as to whether this will also be possible for quality assurance inspections;

38. Calls for the development of mutual recognition agreements at international level as well in order to permit an open world trading environment on the basis of reciprocity;

39. Requests the Commission to analyse the extent to which the Treaty rules on competition are being observed by certification, inspection and testing bodies;

40. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission, to the Member States and to the European standards organizations CEN, CENELEC and ETSI.