EUEØSstandarder

EUEØSstandarder refers to European standards designed for use in both the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA). These standards aim to create common technical requirements that facilitate free movement of goods and services across the EU and EEA markets, while supporting safety, interoperability and consumer protection.

The European standardization system is organized around three main bodies: the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). These bodies develop European standards (ENs) through technical committees and working groups, with national standards bodies acting as member bodies to coordinate adoption in their countries. ENs may later become harmonized standards (hEN) when they are referenced in EU or EEA legislation.

Harmonized standards play a central role in EUEØSstandarder. When a harmonized standard is cited in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) for a specific directive, compliance with that standard provides a presumption of conformity with the essential requirements of the directive. This enables manufacturers to obtain conformity assessments and, if appropriate, to affix the CE marking to their products. The use of harmonized standards thus supports market access across EU and EEA member states.

In the EEA context, the EU's internal market rules extend to Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Agreement, which/whose participants generally adopt and apply EU harmonized standards to maintain access to the single market. Switzerland, while not part of the EEA, may align with these standards through bilateral arrangements.

Overall, EUEØSstandarder promote harmonization, interoperability and regulatory alignment across EU and EEA economies, while preserving national implementation where necessary.