The European Union is about to undergo expansion, with a further ten members due to join on 1 May 2004. This development reflects hope that the artificial division of Europe into East and West, the effects of which can still be felt, will finally be overcome and that our familiar social and economic environment will be extended eastwards. Businesses hope that the step will lead to a crucial simplification of their activities by the elimination of barriers to trade, and anticipate comparable conditions of competition within an extended Single Market.

The European standards organizations CEN and CENELEC currently have 22 ordinary members. They include the national standards organizations of the EU and EFTA states, which have been members for many years, and some recently joined standards organizations from Central and Eastern European countries which will accede to the EU in the next few years. The most recent members are the Czech Republic, Malta, Hungary and Slovakia. Another 11 national standards organizations with affiliate status also belong to CEN and CENELEC.

When the European Union expands in May 2004, the number of EU citizens will rise from 380 to 450 million. Industry is already gearing up for the possibilities that will be offered by the larger single market by setting up branches, companies, joint ventures, etc. For the trade unions, the most important thing is to harmonize the working and living conditions of the workers in this huge economic area.

In 2001, the Czech Republic was the first candidate country for EU membership to sign a PECA protocol. The Czech CSNI was in turn the first standards organization of a candidate country to become a full member of both CEN (1996) and CENELEC (1997) and assumed the same duties as other members from then on.

Until the EC Machinery Directive came into force, safety requirements for cutting machines in the clothing industry were set forth in binding accident-prevention regulations. A standard for this field has been drafted on the initiative of Germany’s institutions for statutory accident insurance and prevention (“BGs”) and with KAN’s support. The work on the draft standard has already led to safety improvements in product design even before the standard is completed.

Hand-held, power-operated machines such as pavement breakers or drills can be either electric or non-electric. As a result, different institutes are involved in the standardization of such products: IEC and CENELEC are responsible for hand-held electric tools and ISO and CEN for nonelectric tools. This has meant that separate standards have been developed more or less independently of one another for machines of the same type but with different power sources.

On 7 May 2003, the EU Commission presented a communication on “Enhancing the Implementation of the New Approach Directives” to the Council and the European Parliament. The recommendations made in the communiqué are intended to help make the internal market even more efficient and increase European industry’s competitiveness with the aid of cost-effective measures. The EU Commission is also seeking to initiate a discussion regarding the formal structure of the directives.

On 7 May 2003, the EU Commission presented a communication on “Enhancing the Implementation of the New Approach Directives” to the Council and the European Parliament. The recommendations made in the communiqué are intended to help make the internal market even more efficient and increase European industry’s competitiveness with the aid of cost-effective measures. The EU Commission is also seeking to initiate a discussion regarding the formal structure of the directives.

“OH&S and Standardization: Cooperation in an Expanded Europe” – that will be the title of a special session to be staged by the Commission for Occupational Health and Safety and Standardization (KAN) at the A+A Congress in Düsseldorf. The event will be held at 9 a.m. on 29 October 2003 in Room 7 of the Congress Centre (CDD Süd).