European standardization

European standardization in fields other than electrotechnics and telecommunications, for which particular organizations (respectively CENELEC and ETSI) exist, is carried out by European Committee for Standardization (CEN). The 19 members of this organization created in 1961, are the national standardisation organizations of the eighteen countries of the European Union and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the Czech Republic. The draft European Standards are prepared by about 230 Technical Committees (CEN/TC) ; once elaborated, these drafts, generally available in the three official CEN languages (English, French, German), are submitted to a enquiry which lasts 6 months, then to an approval with weighted votes. The adopted European Standards (EN) are fully implemented as national standards, notwithstanding the vote of the national member, and any national standard in contradiction shall be withdrawn. At the end of 2000 more than 6 500 European Standards were already approved. In addition to ENs, CEN can elaborate other types of document which have different implication in comparison with ENs : - Harmonization Documents (HD), - European Prestandards (ENV), - CEN Reports (CR), - and since a little time CEN Workshop Agreements (CWA). European standardization has met a new rise since the decision taken in 1985 by the European Commission to implement the New Approach. As a matter of fact, New Approach European Directives are widely supported by “ harmonized ” European standards; the products complying with these standards are deemed to satisfy the requirements of the Directives. In the field of European standardization of steel products and processed products, CEN works in collaboration with a associated body (ASB) called ECISS (European Committee for Iron and Steel Standardization). The number of active ECISS Technical Committees is 21. About 250 European Standards prepared or processed by ECISS had been ratified at the end of 2000.  BN ACIER ensures, at the French level, the follow up of the European standardization works which are carried out in all ECISS technical committees with the exception of ECISS/TC20 devoted to chemical analysis, directly followed by AFNOR and ECISS/TC 31 devoted to cast steels, followed by the Standardization Office for Casting Industry (N. tel. : + 33 1 45 34 27 54). BN ACIER is also involved, more or less intensively, in the follow up of the European or International standardization works carried out respectively in a few CEN technical committees, in the case where the standardization works are directly related to the steel products and the processed products.