As a result of Brexit, the British Standards Institution (BSI) no longer satisfies the existing requirements for membership of CEN and CENELEC. This has prompted the two European standards organizations to revise their membership concept, following agreement of a transitional period for BSI's membership lasting until 31 December 2021.
In their new membership concept, CEN and CENELEC distinguish between three types of member:
- Blue-type Member: National standards body in a country of the European Economic Area (EEA)
- Red-type Member: National standards body in a country which is a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) but not of the EEA, or in a country recognised by the EU as a candidate country for EU accession
- Yellow-type Member: National standards body in a country that has concluded an agreement with the EU on regulatory convergence and compatibility with the essential rules for supporting the European Single Market
BSI, which will become a Yellow-type Member under this concept, is thus able to retain its membership of CEN and CENELEC. This does not lead to any changes with respect to standardization activity. BSI will now undergo an external assessment in accordance with the amended arrangements.
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