JRC and standardisation committee sign cooperation agreement
The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) signed a cooperation agreement on 19 November, granting CEN increased access to the results of JRC research. The agreement is linked to an existing framework agreement between the European Commission and CEN, and renews a previous agreement that facilitated the exchange of information linked to the implementation of new EU policies. These areas include: the environment (air, water and soil quality); security of the citizen; food safety and genetically modified organisms (GMOs); medical devices; pressure equipment; reference materials and measurements; and advanced materials. Two forms of cooperation are foreseen under the latest cooperation agreement, namely pre-normative and co-normative research, and the participation of JRC experts in CEN technical committees and working groups. CEN is the officially recognised European standards organisation for standardisation in areas other than the electrotechnical and telecommunications fields. Its national members have been working together since 1961 to develop voluntary standards in various sectors and a European internal market for goods and services.