Project Overview

Location: China

Dates: November 2007 – November 2009

Funded by: European Commission

Website: http://eu-china-standards.eu/

 

Project Aims

The overall objective of the project is the establishment of an e‐based information service for access to European and Chinese technical standards (and related laws and regulations) as well as the structures and process for their development as a driver to facilitate trade between European and Asian SMEs.

Despite China offering Europe one of the largest and fastest growing export markets in the world, European exporters face a number of difficulties when attempting to enter the Chinese market, including compliance with product certification, labelling standards, import approvals, and other standards requirements. Therefore this project facilitates cooperation between standards bodies and will lead to an increase in general Chinese and ASEAN cooperation with ESOs. The project is also in line with objectives on standards formalised by Asian and European leaders, confirming the importance of standards for regional economic integration and economic development.

The feasibility stage incorporates research and analysis and extensive consultation with SMEs, industry and standards setting bodies to assess options for the platform, for its scope and content, and establishes a plan for the long‐term financial sustainability of the information service after the project has terminated.

The project involves training workshops and seminars for least developed regions in China, and the extensive media and dissemination campaign will ensure that there is wide spread and comprehensive knowledge of the benefits offered by the EU‐China standards information platform, and more importantly in least developed regions an appreciation of the importance of the standards guiding manufacturers producing for export markets. The project will also make provisions for the long term operation and maintenance of the database and website.

The platform has been released
The platform was launched on October 16th, 2009 in Brussels and is available for use at http://eu-china-standards.eu/