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NIST SP 951
Table 5: European Standards Bodies: ETSI |
| The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) is composed of some 697 members from 50 countries, including the United States. They represent Administrations (8.7%), network operators (17.75%), manufacturers (51.27%), service providers (18.48%), and users (3.8%). There are 552 full members from 35 countries, 62 observers from 18 countries (which category has the largest U.S. concentration), and 83 associate members from 15 countries. |
Standardization, when used specifically to translate laws into technical solutions for implementation, is tantamount to technical regulation. Standards developed by private sector standards committees for this purpose, therefore, can have a profound effect on the regulation of trade. A standard can determine, by defining and delineating technical characteristics, what conditions will permit a product on the market. By excluding characteristics, a standard can also prohibit a product from being placed on the market. In non-regulated areas, standards can exert an equally powerful influence on the marketplace. It is important, therefore, that wherever possible, manufacturers participate in standards development where it impacts their targeted markets.
The philosophy of standardization by committee and consensus is the same in the EU as it is in the United States. Technical experts and others participate voluntarily, and without compensation. The makeup of committees may be organized differently and roles may vary, but they generally follow a pattern that includes input from producers, users, government, and academia. On both sides, committees are fairly autonomous; and both sides have processes for the creation of subcommittees, drafting of standards, disseminating draft documents for comment, voting, and appeals. On both sides, decisions are reached by consensus. And on both sides, standards organizations provide management, administrative, and logistical support for standards activities. They also provide for the editing, printing, publishing, sale, and distribution of standards documents.
The differences between the United States and the EU are most notable in the way standards activities are organized. In Europe, the structure of centralized national standards bodies and centralized regional bodies (The European Standards Bodies) contrasts sharply with the decentralized structure and the myriad of bodies that develop standards in the United States. Organized by nation in Europe, standards activities are organized by sector in the United States.
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| Technology Services, Standards Services Division, Global Standards and Information Group Contact: maureen.breitenberg@nist.gov A Guide to EU Standards and Conformity Assessment, NIST SP 951 | Date Created: 05/31/00 |
