As the Western Balkans and other candidate countries steadily make their way to the European Union, alignment with European standards and regulations is a crucial tool that can facilitate their integration, especially in the Single Market.
Standards serve as a common language in global trade, enabling consensus-driven agreements on behaviour. They facilitate market creation, boost competitiveness, overcome technical trade barriers and bolster market access.
They support a more competitive and cohesive European Union. Additionally, standards advance research and innovation, helping shape emerging markets before they fully materialise.
This is why all candidate countries must commit to standardisation and align technically with the bloc. CEN and CENELEC, two of the official European standardisation organisations, are key to this process.
One of the common aims is to promote the adoption of European standards even beyond Europe. This alignment is driven by the Vienna Agreement (between CEN and ISO) and the Frankfurt Agreement (between CENELEC and IEC).
This has established cooperation frameworks with global, national standardisation organisations, allowing these entities to access, review, and potentially adopt European standards.
Need for standardisation
The list of homework the Western Balkans or any other aspiring countries must do before joining the EU is a long one. Standardisation, as part of the first chapter of the EU acquis, is one of the most important tasks.
The New Growth Plan for the region, announced in 2023 by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, highlighted convergence as an essential element in getting the Western Balkans closer to the EU and its Single Market.
Speaking with Euractiv, Kostanca Dedja, in charge of the right to information in Albania’s General Directorate of Standardisation (DPS), described standardisation work as “crucial” for candidate countries seeking EU membership.
Some of the key points highlighting the importance of standardisation are alignment with EU regulations and legislations, economic development, public health and safety, building institutional capacity, trade facilitation, consumer protection, and regional integration.
“An effective standardisation system is a vital step on Albania’s path to EU membership, facilitating broader reforms and strengthening the country’s institutional framework,” Dedja remarked.
She singled out the fully operational standardisation system in compliance with EU legislation as one of Albania’s major achievements in the process.
More than 93 per cent of EU standards have been adopted and published as Albanian Standards, making them accessible for implementation by all interested parties.
Likewise, over 90 per cent of EU standards in civil engineering have also been adopted and published as Albanian Standards and are available for use by all stakeholders.
As it is, the EU is the leading trade partner for all Western Balkans, with nearly 70 per cent of the region’s total trade. From 2011 to 2021, Western Balkans exports to the EU increased by 207 per cent.
Further standardisation and compliance with EU regulations promises easier access to and more benefits from the Single Market, ensuring goods and services of high quality from the region reach the rest of Europe.
Working with CEN and CENELEC
Serbia (ISS) and North Macedonia (ISRSM) are full members of CEN and CENELEC. Albania is in the process of becoming a full-right member, while Bosnia and Herzegovina (ISBIH) and Montenegro (ISME) are affiliates. Kosovo (AKS) is also present through its representatives.
Elaborating on full membership benefits from CEN and CENELEC, Dedja said this would allow Albania to influence European standards to reflect national needs. It supports the industry in complying with EU standards and enhances DPS’ capabilities.
Fostering cooperation with other national standardisation bodies and aligning Albania’s standards with EU policies are essential steps for countries aiming for EU membership, according to her.
An important meeting highlighting what this process means, the Balkan Conference of Standardisation Bodies, took place in July in Bled under the auspices of the Slovenian Institute for Standardisation (SIST).
Key themes in the conference included the exchange of best practices, addressing shared challenges, and highlighting the importance of standards. The Slovenian hosts emphasised on the need for international cooperation and harmonisation of standards to improve product quality and market competitiveness.
Work in Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova
Besides the Western Balkans, CEN and CENELEC also work with other candidate countries’ standardisation bodies, such as Ukraine (DSTU), Georgia (GEOSTM), and Moldova (ISM), all of whom are affiliates.
Their “affiliate” status, approved on November 24, 2022, became effective on January 1, 2023, bringing DSTU, GEOSTM, and ISM closer to the European Standardisation System and the Single Market.
These organisations, previously linked as Companion Standardisation Bodies (CBs), now engage more closely with European standards. This intermediary but crucial step will help guide these countries towards full membership.
[Edited By Brian Maguire | Euractiv’s Advocacy Lab ]
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Publish date : 2024-10-31 18:27:00
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