Standardisation: information technology and telecommunications

This decision aims to promote closer cooperation in establishing technical standards * in the information technology and telecommunications sectors. It should lead to improvements in international competitiveness among European Community (EC) manufacturers.

ACT

Council Decision 87/95/EEC of 22 December 1986 on standardisation in the field of information technology and telecommunications [See amending acts]

SUMMARY

This decision aims to implement a Community policy on standardisation in the field of information technology and telecommunications.

Objectives

Standardisation measures help to facilitate the exchange of information throughout the EC. They reduce the obstacles created by incompatibilities arising from the absence of standards.

Proposed measures

Specific measures are proposed to:

promote standardisation in Europe;
draw up and apply standards in the field of ICT;
draw up and apply functional specifications in the field of telecommunications.

Actions

The provisions of the decision aim to draw up and establish European standards * and functional specifications. The European standards institutions and European technical bodies in the information technology and telecommunications sector base their work on international standards *.

These same bodies are invited to prepare technical specifications which will form the basis of European standards to make up for the absence of international standards.

The Member States are also required to take measures to:

facilitate the application of the standards and functional specifications through coordination between Member States;
promote the application of standards and functional specifications relating to public sector orders and technical regulations.

In the context of differences between existing national procedures, the Member States are required to make reference to:

European standards and European pre-standards *;
international standards when accepted in the country of the contracting authority, in public procurement orders relating to information technology and telecommunications.

Key terms used in the act

Standard: a technical specification approved by a recognised standards body for repeated or continuous application, compliance with which is not compulsory.
International standard: a standard adopted by a recognised international standards body.
European standard: a standard which has been approved pursuant to the statutes of the standards bodies with which the Community has concluded agreements.
European pre-standard: a standard adopted under the reference (EPS) in accordance with the statutory rules of the standards bodies with which the Community has concluded agreements.

References

Act	Entry into force	Deadline for transposition in the Member States	Official Journal
Decision No 87/95/EEC	07.02.1988	-	OJ L 36 of 07.02.1987

Amending act(s)	Entry into force	Deadline for transposition in the Member States	Official Journal
Regulation (EC) No 807/2003 [Procedure CNS/2001/0316]	05.06.2003	-	OJ L 122 of 16.05.2003

RELATED ACTS

Directive 1999/5/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 1999 on radio equipment and telecommunications terminal equipment and the mutual recognition of their conformity [Official Journal L 91 of 07.04.1999]

This Directive establishes a regulatory framework for the placing on the market, free movement and putting into service in the EU of radio equipment and telecommunications terminal equipment.

Directive 98/34/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 June 1998 laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical standards and regulations [Official Journal L 204 of 21.07.1998]

This Directive aims to eliminate or reduce the barriers to the free movement of goods which can arise from the adoption of different national technical regulations.

Last updated: 13.01.2006