Standards and EU Exit

The UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020. We are now in a transition period where the UK is no longer represented in the EU political institutions, but the rules and obligations of EU membership are still in effect. This will end on 31 December 2020 and during this period the UK government is negotiating a trade agreement with the EU setting out our future relationship.

BSI works closely with central government departments to advise them about the way standards are used to support regulations. In addition to our regular engagement, BSI advises government on standards in trade negotiations. Scott Steedman, BSI’s Director of Standards, is a member of the Strategic Trade Advisory Group, the government’s stakeholder forum on trade. More information on our trade policy activity can be found through the link below.

BSI's membership of CEN and CENELEC is guaranteed beyond the end of the EU exit transition period. On 18 June, the General Assemblies of CEN and CENLELEC extended their timeframe to update the organizations’ statutes in response to the UK’s departure from the EU. This will now run until the end of 2021, enabling the UK’s continued influence over standards produced in CEN and CENELEC, providing stability and certainty for our stakeholders. BSI is confident its membership will continue beyond that time and we are working with the other CEN and CENELEC members to ensure the best outcome for the UK.

Voting procedure:

From 1 July 2020, BSI has been classed as a non-EEA member of CEN and CENELEC. This affects a few specific voting situations. In the types of vote listed in subclause 6.1.4 of CEN/CENELEC internal regulations part 2 (e.g. new or amended ENs), weighted voting is applied. In the first stage, votes from all members are counted and the proposal is adopted if the weighted voting criteria are met. There are no changes to the UK in this stage; our weighting remains the same. However, if the proposal is not adopted in the first stage the votes of only the EEA countries are counted separately. In this situation, the UK’s vote would not be counted.

Therefore, if the proposal passes stage 1, all members are obliged to implement it, including BSI. If the proposal fails stage 1 but passes stage 2, all EEA members are obliged to implement it, along with any non-EEA members that voted positively. This means that if BSI voted negatively, it would not be obliged to implement the decision. If BSI voted positively, we would be obliged to implement the decision. If the proposal fails stage 2, there is no further action.

BSI’s membership of ETSI continues and will not undergo a statute review as membership arrangements are unaffected by the UK’s exit from the EU. BSI’s voting on ETSI ENs has also moved to the non-EEA category.

BSI’s membership of the international standards organisations ISO and IEC is unaffected by the UK’s exit from the EU. BSI does not manage UK activity with ITU, which is the responsibility of UK government.

BSI’s role as the national standards body is evolving following the UK’s departure from the EU as the government takes sole responsibility for all regulation in the UK.

BSI manages over 1,200 standards development committees representing UK stakeholder experts from business, consumers, government and others. Between them BSI’s committees oversee around 38,000 British Standards, over 85% of which are identical with international and European regional standards.

Post-EU transition UK regulatory and trade policies will be autonomous, the responsibility of central and devolved governments. Many of these policies will call on the British Standards collection to support compliance and underpin productivity, innovation and the international competitiveness of UK industry.

As BSI’s role to support government evolves, we are ensuring that our national processes will continue to be robust and transparent, based on broad stakeholder consensus, open public consultation and regular review. Speed and agility are key, as we have seen in BSI’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, releasing guidance and making standards more easily available. The Building Safety Act 2020 will regulate competence requirements in the built environment and in BSI is delivering new standards that will support these requirements using a rapid development process.

Responding to government policy is a key element of BSI’s national standards body role. Enabling regulatory compliance in the UK, for example, is an important way in which our national standards (British Standards) meet stakeholder needs.

Under the direction of UK stakeholders including government, BSI has for many years sought wherever possible to develop international standards first, with UK leadership or influence. Post-EU transition, leading the development of international standards will be even more crucial for the UK, as an autonomous, global trading nation.

BSI’s stakeholders are adamant that, for products and services, the concept of ‘one standard used everywhere’ brings the maximum benefits for the UK, simplifying production, reducing costs and bringing clarity for consumers. This approach has driven the creation of the world-leading British Standards catalogue that is available today for government and industry.

Post-EU transition, BSI’s role as the national standards body will evolve to:

• Support the delivery of an autonomous UK regulatory policy. BSI will provide the necessary mechanism to coordinate UK government’s needs for standards. This will involve the creation of a facility to request standards to support policies, including legislation. BSI will deliver standards, UK-specific where needed, to support compliance with UK legal requirements.
• Promote and enable UK stakeholder leadership in international and European regional standardization. BSI will work with government on the role of standards as an enabler of trade and international competitiveness. We will optimize the participation of UK stakeholders through BSI’s membership of ISO, IEC, CEN, CENELEC and ETSI and our support for UK government in the ITU, always recognizing the need for flexibility where standards are used to support compliance with national regulation.