Product Certification- Brexit

Following the triggering of Article 50, BSI will continue to help organizations achieve their goals as we have done for over a century.  For BSI it is business as usual and BSI expects it will remain a full member and influential participant in the single European standards system as well as an EU Notified Body.  BSI will continue to play an important role in helping both British and overseas manufacturers demonstrate product conformity.

BSI has been working closely with UK government departments – such as the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy; Department for Exiting the EU - and the United Kingdom Accreditation Service to ensure they understand the implications not only for UK Notified Bodies but more importantly our clients across the world.

Current negotiation status

The European Commission published a notice on 11 January 2018 regarding the future recognition of UK Notified Bodies in the EU.  This article outlines the worst-case where no withdrawal agreement is achieved.  BSI anticipates this situation will be averted with a mutual recognition agreement for UK Notified Bodies. Currently there are recognized existing mechanisms in place for non-EU countries to participate, these include the Mutual Recognition Agreements between the EU and America, Canada, Australia, Switzerland and Japan.  Regulatory authorities in these countries designate Notified Bodies to carry out these activities in the same way as member states of the EU. 

On 26 January 2018, the government published an open letter to UK business leaders on the Implementation Period.  It emphasises the following three key aspects: 

•         “First, in order that our terms of trade remain unchanged during the implementation period, it will need to be based on the existing structure of EU rules and regulations.”
•         “Second, no business need worry that it will fall outside the scope of this period. Our intention is to mimic the breadth of our current arrangements, from goods to agriculture to financial services, meaning that every business, small or large, will be able to go on trading with the EU as it does today until it’s time to make any changes necessary for the future partnership.”
•         “Third, EU citizens will continue to be able to come and live and work in the UK, with no new barriers to taking up employment.”

BSI strengthening European links

As with most large UK companies, we have a contingency plan in place to ensure that our clients can continue to use BSI as their European Notified Body.  As part of this, we are in the process of establishing a Notified Body in the Netherlands for assessing and approving products against the relevant CE directives and regulations - for example, Construction Productions, PPE, PED and Gas Appliances. This extension will focus on our existing BSI Netherlands headquarters in Amsterdam which has been established for many years.

Ongoing Communications

As Brexit negotiations progress and our discussions with the UK government and other relevant authorities evolve, we will continue to keep you informed on progress on both this page and via other communications.