Brexit and standards update
06/03/2017
Most readers will be aware of UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans to trigger the process for the UK’s exit from the EU at the end of March, subject to Parliamentary agreement.Some readers have raised concerns over the effect of Brexit on standards. One such worry is the potential for all EU standards to be reissued as BS standards and the associated costs of purchasing and maintaining a library of both standard designations that will probably be no different in content.
For BSI it is business as usual. “Following the result of the UK referendum, BSI is continuing to help organisations achieve their goals as we have done for the past 115 years,” it commented in an official statement.
Following the result of the UK referendum and changes in government, BSI, as the UK National Standards Body, has been working with its stakeholders to communicate the key messages about the vital role of standards in supporting trade, growth and productivity. The expected triggering of Article 50 will start a transition period lasting some years while the UK government negotiates the arrangements for its withdrawal from the EU and its future terms of trade with Europe and the rest of the world. Below is an explanation of how this affects the various roles of the National Standards Body:
- National level
BSI will continue to develop and publish British standards. No changes are anticipated to its activity in this area.
- European level
BSI maintains the UK membership of the three European standardisation organisations: CEN, CENELEC and ETSI. Its membership of these organisations continues as normal; it is ‘business as usual’ in all aspects of BSI’s activity in making and publishing standards.
CEN and CENELEC are private organisations outside the EU coordinating the work of 33 countries in the making and dissemination of European standards (EN). Membership of CEN and CENELEC is linked to the adoption of European standards and the withdrawal of conflicting national standards, facilitating market access across the member countries.
Over the coming months, and during the transition period that will follow the triggering of Article 50, BSI will be working with UK government (for example the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, the Department for Exiting the European Union and the Department for International Trade) and other parties as appropriate, such as the European institutions, CEN and CENELEC, regarding its role in the development of European standards.
It is BSI’s ambition on behalf of UK stakeholders for the UK to continue to participate in the European standards system as a full member of CEN and CENELEC post-Brexit. This would bring maximum benefit to the UK economy and society in its new status outside the EU, as reciprocity of market access with European countries and the maintenance of a unified domestic market structure across the UK facilitates trade and reduces complexity for SMEs and consumers, ultimately saving time, money and effort while ensuring product quality and safety.
- International level
BSI’s membership of the two international standardisation organisations, ISO and IEC, will be unaffected by a UK exit from the EU. BSI is committed to representing the UK’s interests in the creation of international standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges.
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