"The politics of creating a market: the internal and external impacts of standardisation"

Egan, Michelle. (1993) "The politics of creating a market: the internal and external impacts of standardisation". In: UNSPECIFIED, Washington, DC. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

EC "standards” policy shapes the existence and functioning of the internal market. Increasingly, the EC relies on the distinctive capacities of private standardisation bodies to' detail the conditions of entry into EC-wide markets. Private standards bodies determine the technical means to achieve minimum product standards. As a result, the Community could utilise the expertise of the private sector, while respecting the capacities of market competition for promoting innovation and disciplining performance. This increased reliance on the private sector in standardisation has contributed to the integration of markets beyond national boundaries. Europe in short, is changing. The agreement of Community countries to implement common policies has diminished the independence of member governments, while the policies themselves have in some cases altered the traditional business-government relationship. This paper explores the politics between business and government in the area of standardisation. However, the interests of business and government are predominantly seen through the lens of domestic politics. As a result, relatively little attention has been paid to the international dimension of EC regulatory policies. In fact, when the 1992 programme was first initiated, no explicit consideration was given to the external impact of European integration. However, the interdependence of trade and regulatory policies is no longer confined to the EC; it is now a global phenomena. (1) Moreover, in the case of standardisation, the shift in business-government relations profoundly affects the balance in state-industry relations in other markets. The EC objective to reduce or remove non-tariff barriers with the aim of achieving effective market access and greater transparency is a cost-free gain for third countries, especially the US and Japan. More importantly, the EC focus on standardisation as a tool for market access has prompted both the US and Japan to assess the adequacy of their standards process to meet the legal and commercial requirements of the marketplace.

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