CEN and ASTM International have signed a technical cooperation agreement
Date
27 Sep 2019
Sections
Innovation & Enterprise
CEN, the European Committee for Standardization, and ASTM International signed today a Technical Cooperation Agreement with the aim to facilitate global dialogue and coordination in specific standardization areas of mutual interest.
The Agreement establishes a framework for technical cooperation and information exchange between the two standardization organizations, thus facilitating dialogue and convergence on the technical requirements and related attributes of standards development, and preventing duplication of efforts, for the benefit of their respective stakeholders.
Through this important Agreement, ASTM International and CEN agree to a series of practical actions to implement their cooperation, specifically in those technical areas where there is common interest between ASTM International and CEN:
- Explore opportunities to collaborate within their respective standards development process;
- Facilitate technical standardization dialogue between their technical bodies;
- Share information on their standards development activities and emerging technologies, trends, or regulatory drivers of mutual interest for the benefit of the stakeholders.
As a first step in their cooperation, ASTM International and CEN will establish a pilot with the involvement of the following identified technical groups of common interest.
For CEN:
- CEN/TC 411 Bio-based products,whose Secretariat is held by the Nederlands Normalisatie-instituut (NEN)
- CEN/TC 366 ‘Materials obtained from End-of-Life Tyres (ELT)’ whose Secretariat is held by the Ente Nazionale Italiano di Unificazione (UNI)
For ASTM:
- ASTM Committee D20 on "Plastics", with a focus on Environmentally Degradable Plastics and Biobased Products
- ASTM Committee D36 on "Recovered Carbon Black" and D11 on "Rubber and Rubber-like materials", with a focus on tyres and rubber products that can be recovered carbon black
Strengthening the international standardization community
The cooperation established under this Agreement complements the already existing CEN/ANSI dialogue on policy and strategic cooperation between Europe and the US. This newly launched CEN collaboration with ASTM adds a technical level dimension, ensuring a deepening of the transatlantic relations as well as global standardization initiatives.
The signature of the Agreement is in line with both ASTM International and CEN’s missions to pursue active roles in the international standardization community. Elena Santiago Cid, CEN’s Director General, commented: “The Agreement with ASTM is an example of our efforts to establish fruitful partnerships with fellow standards organizations to promote global market access for the European industry and stakeholders. This Agreement enable a focused cooperation in the development of standards to bring benefits to those players committed to fair competition in the global economy”.
In order to support a one standard, one test, accepted everywhere approach it is essential that we cooperate between standardization organizations to coordinate our respective work in an uncomplicated manner and thus avoid double work”, added Christoph Winterhalter, CEN’s Vice President Policy. ”The agreement with ASTM facilitates this cooperation as it allows the reciprocal use of content. We hope to learn from this cooperation for further agreements in the future”.
Katharine E. Morgan, President of ASTM International, said: “CEN and ASTM International are two of the most relevant and robust standards organizations in the world. Our Agreement promotes greater coherence and interoperability in today’s global market place and fosters deeper understanding and trust amongst leading technical experts that will lay the foundation for future cooperation”.
“I’m thrilled to see this new collaboration in key technical areas that support circular economy goals and global trade,” commented Taco van der Maten, marketing manager at Malvern Panalytical in the Netherlands, who is serving as ASTM International’s 2019 board chairman. “Our stakeholders stand to benefit from a deeper understanding of technical challenges and more common approaches to standards development – it’s exciting to see what can be accomplished.”
CEN
CEN (European Committee for Standardization) is recognized by the European Union (EU) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) as a European Standardization Organization responsible for developing standards at European level. These standards set out specifications and procedures in relation to a wide range of materials, processes, products and services.
The members of CEN are the National Standardization Bodies of 34 European countries. European Standards (ENs) and other standardization deliverables adopted by CEN are accepted and recognized in all of these countries.
European Standards (ENs) contribute to enhancing safety, improving quality, facilitating cross-border trade and strengthening the European Single Market. They are developed through a process of collaboration among experts nominated by business and industry, research institutes, consumer and environmental organizations, trade unions and other stakeholders.
CEN works to promote the international alignment of standards in the framework of technical cooperation agreements with ISO (International Organization for Standardization).
CEN website: www.cen.eu
CEN-CENELEC website: www.cencenelec.eu
Media contact:
Giovanni Collot
Project Manager Strategy & Governance
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre
T: +32 474 98 21 17
Email: gcollot@cencenelec.eu
Twitter: @Standards4EU
ASTM International
Committed to serving global societal needs, ASTM International positively impacts public health and safety, consumer confidence, and overall quality of life. We integrate consensus standards – developed with our international membership of volunteer technical experts – and innovative services to improve lives… Helping our world work better.
ASTM International website: www.astm.org
Media contact:
Nathan Osburn
Communications Director
ASTM International
T: +1.610.832.9603
Email: nosburn@astm.org
Twitter: @ASTMIntl