Europe-China Standards Information Platform will facilitate access to China for SMEs

PRLog (Press Release) - Oct 19, 2009 -
The new Europe-China Standards Information Platform (CESIP) designed by the Sustainable Development Association (SDA) with the support of the European Commission and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) was officially launched during a meeting held within the Brussels office of EFTA. Present were representatives from the European Commission DG Industry & Enterprise and DG Trade, EFTA, the European Standardization Organizations CEN, CENELEC and ETSI and, some National Standardization Bodies and Committees, European Federations, the Seconded European Standardization Expert in China, and SDA. The launch took place on 16 October 2009.

The new web-based portal (eu-china-standards.eu) is a very valuable source of information regarding the relevant regulatory regime, standards and standardization systems in Europe and in China. Businesses have free access to this powerful search engine to easily and quickly find the standard references needed for their products. The information and the searches can be carried out in English and Chinese. This tool facilitates trade between both regions.

Considerable added value of this portal for European Industry is that the search on Chinese standards is not only limited to national standards (voluntary and mandatory) but also to the relevant industry (sector) standards. Normally, these are more difficult to obtain for foreign companies wanting to do business with China.

The platform currently includes information on four sectors (Electrical Appliances, Machinery, Medical Devices and Environmental Protection). The portal will be complemented by other sectors once the Standardization Administration of China (SAC) and the European Standardization Organizations CEN, CENELEC and ETSI in Europe take over this platform with the support of the European Commission and EFTA.