European Commission Evaluation of Regulation 1025/2012 on European Standardization

On July 25, ASME provided comments on the European Commission Public Consultation on Regulation 1025/2012. Adopted in 2012, this Regulation is a cornerstone of the European Standardization System that lays out and highlights the important role of international and European standards in facilitating the free movement of goods in the European single market and achieving the regulatory objectives of the European Commission related to safety, health, and environmental protection.  

The Regulation’s definition of ‘international standardization body’ is limited to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). While ASME encourages and supports the work of these important organizations, we strongly believe that this limited and restrictive definition should be revised as to not exclude organizations including ASME that adhere the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) principles (e.g. transparency, openness, impartiality, and consensus) for the development of international standards.  

We believe that the recognition and acceptance of multiple organizations and approaches to standards development in its regulatory framework will afford the EU with the flexibility needed to maintain a high level of safety, quality, and efficiency, and ensure that standards and conformity assessment programs are most responsive to the needs of industry and regulators. This approach will also ensure that the EU adequately considers the interests of its international trading partners, promotes technical alignment, and facilitates global trade.