Tag: Brexit and BS EN Standards

Recently I blogged about the Brexit and BS EN Standards.  As time goes on, the likelihood of a “soft Brexit” seem to be diminishing.  So my initial analysis certainly looks less likely.

After the Brexit vote, there was talk of Britain taking the same path as Norway and Switzerland.  That is, Britain would choose to remain part of the European Economic Area (EEA) while exiting the EU itself.  This would certainly be the least disruptive option.  However, with many of the statements that Prime Minister May has made, this path seems to be out of the question now.

The most recent positive news suggests that May is interested in retaining some economic ties to the EU.  There is talk of adopting the entire body of EU laws and regulations.  This would mean that the EN standards would remain in force in the UK after an EU exit.

However, the possibility of the British Standards Institute (BSI) remaining on as the publisher of the official English language editions of the EN standards is questionable at this point.  Since Britain would not be officially part of the EU or EEA, the right to publish official documents does not seem possible in my eyes.  There is no doubt that the institution would continue to audit for compliance.  They would simply be assigned those rights by a Notified Body still within the remaining EU.

Many of our Document Center Inc. customers have invested in extensive collections of BS EN standards.  Further, those editions are often referenced in company documentation.  Moving forward, you may want to rethink this policy if you are in this situation.  There are English language editions of the EN standards published by other national standards bodies.  These editions have the same weight as those from BSI and are identical except for the cover sheets.

If you are uncertain of what to do, check in with your certification body first.  Then, get in touch with us for suggestions of other options for your EN standards purchases.  You can reach our staff by phone (650-591-7600) and email (info@document-center.com).  While immediate action is not required, development of a long term strategy is certainly be advisable.

 

Now that we’re all getting used to the idea that the U.K. has voted to leave the European Union, what about the Brexit and BS EN Standards?  Does the Brexit affect Britian’s participation in CEN and CENELEC and the publishing of the BS EN documents?  Will BSI continue to act as a notified body?  Will it continue to be able to certify your organization’s products for sale within the EU?  Does this rejection of the regulatory burdens placed upon the U.K. by the EU affect British standards making?

For those of you who have referenced BS EN standards in your product documentation, you can breathe a sigh of relief.  While there will be some changes, the U.K. will remain within the CEN and CENELEC standards making process.  BSI should continue to adopt and distribute the BS EN standards.  And should their status as a notified body be withdrawn, they will surely find a notified body that they can represent in order to continue their certification activities.

How can this be?  Doesn’t the Brexit mean that the U.K. will not be a part of the European Union any longer?  Actually, there are several non-EU countries already participating in both CEN and CENELEC.  These include Iceland, Norway and Switzerland as well as candidate countries Macedonia and Turkey.  This is done by way of particiation in the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).  There is no suggestion as yet that the U.K. would pull out of this group.

There will be one notable result of leaving the EU for Britian:  It won’t be involved in the formal discussions in CEN and/or CENELEC on the needs of the EU with regards to any specific standard.  It will also be out of any discussions about mandates or decisions about harmonized standards.

So while Britians may be thinking that the Brexit vote will reduce the regulatory burden, this will be true only to a limited extent where goods and trade is concerned.  Part of the requirements that accompany national participation in CEN and CENELEC mandates adoption by a specific date.  They also dictate that duplicating or conflicting national standards be withdrawn by a specific date.  So while certain domestic regulation will again revert to the nation, much of the overhead of compliance with EU Directives and the Harmonized Standards system will remain.

Should you be concerned or want to use EN standards from an alternative European source, please get in touch with us.  Here at Document Center Inc. we have a number of options for you with regards to your EN standards.  Take a look by searching for standards at our webstore, www.document-center.com.  Or contact our staff by phone (650-591-7600) or email (info@document-center.com).  We’ve been working with standards since 1982.  Make us your Standards Experts!