National standardisation is the entry point into regional and international standards. Standardisation follows the so-called “national delegation principle”, where a national standards body (NSB) or national committee (NC) holds the voting rights and is responsible for conveying the national position on a draft standard. As a result, the inclusiveness of international and regional standardisation organisations depends on the inclusiveness of their national members. Today, however, environmental stakeholders face a number of obstacles to their effective participation in standards-making at national level. These range from the lack of familiarity with standards and lack of awareness of their role in environmental protection, to the lack of resources for such work, or difficult access conditions.
A more balanced representation at national level would have a knock-on effect within the regional and international standardisation levels – something ECOS has been advocating since its very inception.
ECOS is co-funded by the European Commission and EFTA
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EISMEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.