Global standards

Pan-European standardization bodies and activities are discussed with particular attention given to their impact on international trade. Since many International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards have been derived from US and Japanese products, primarily in telecommunications, the fear that European standards may keep US companies out of the market is said by European experts to be largely unfounded. Of prime concern to the 12 European Community (EC) nations is whether they can generate standards fast enough to be of any benefit to the EC. Applying international standards is difficult because they are so complex. Because of the time (from two to ten years) and effort needed to generate standards, priority has been given to those that are important for safety and government procurement. The standardization process and funding and the role of the European Commission are examined.<>