The European Association for Passive Fire Protection (EAPFP) has written to CEN CENELEC expressing its support for the promotion of European standardisation in China through the Seconded European Standardisation Expert in China (SESEC).
President Joric Witlox and Immediate Past President Vicente Mans attended a conference on the subject in Brussels on 13 September which provided details of the SESEC project (www.sesec.eu), a visibility project supported by the European Commission (EC), the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).
SESEC aims to enhance the visibility of European standardisation activities, increase cooperation between Chinese and European standardisation bodies and support European companies facing standardisation related issues hampering market access to China.
Now in its tenth year, the SESEC project ultimately aims to reduce the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) both between EU and China and globally, thus supporting European and Chinese industries by facilitating international trade. However, CEN was considering whether to take the project forward into a fourth phase.
CEN CENELEC was looking for input from European stakeholders on which European standards should be promoted and in which country. It is looking to drive the project forward on the basis of market relevant input. European stakeholders can actively give their input into the project and guide its activities either through ETSI or through CEN and CENELEC, and their National Standards Bodies (NSBs).
The EAPFP believes this is exactly the type of initiative for which it has been campaigning and, along with others from industry, is concerned that many countries have not been asked by their standardisation bodies for feedback to this consultation.
With EAPFP members offering full support for the project, the EAPFP has asked all member national associations to contact their respective national standardisation body and provide feedback from the passive fire protection sector and call for a continuation of the scheme.
