REGULATION OF PRODUCT CERTIFICATION AND STANDARDIZATION PROCESSES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Abstract

Research is aimed at investigation of current state of technical regulation system in European Union. Special attention is paid to peculiarities of standardization and certification in certain countries of EU in order to implement foreign experience in Ukraine. Despite the wide academic coverage of technical regulation issue, a range of issues remain unsolved, especially the problem of historical retrospective and possibility of positive experience implementation. Subject of study. Theoretical and methodological approaches to the regulation of certification and standardization of processes in the EU, as well as comparative analysis of the systems in the past and the present. Methodology. The survey is based on research of available publications on the topic, comparative analysis, induction and deduction. Issues of standardization and certification were widely discovered by numerous researchers: F.D. Duyvis (1960), W. Hesser and A. Inklaar (1998), C. Shapiro (1999), A. Richen and A. Steinhorst (2005). But in spite of the deep theoretical background of scientific works, it is obvious that the most important documents for technical regulations are ISO standards (especially ISO/ IEC 17021:2006 «Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems»). Results. The article discovers relationship between main standardization bodies in EU, studies main legislative documents, reveals its historical retrospective and provides in-depth study of technical regulation system in Germany and the UK. Information from the article can be used for general understanding of main processes of technical regulation in EU; practical discovery of marking signs on the products and comparative analysis of standardization systems in different countries. Practical implications. It is important to mention practical demonstration of technical requirements in the EU: the signs marking Certificate IN, Certificate VS, Certificate ONORM, Certificate LVS, which mean compliance with national standards of the community. For example, Certificate DIN means compliance with the German Standards Institute (Deutsches Institut für Normung), Certificate BS – requirements for producers in the UK, Certificate ONORM – sign labeling in Austria and Certificate LVS has French origins. Value/originality. The study provides complex overview of product certification and standardization processes in the European Union, taking into account legislative basis and executive authorities on the European as well as on the local markets.