Cooperation with CEN and CENELEC

European Standards Organizations are much younger than their international partners, and their development is related to the idea of the Single European Market within the European Union and EFTA.

The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) was established in 1974 and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) – in 1973. Both CEN and CENELEC are non-profit associations set up under Belgian law based in Brussels.

Their members are National Standards Bodies – in CEN – and National Electrotechnical Committees – in CENELEC - of the EU and EFTA countries and Croatia (advanced candidate to the EU). Similarly to international organizations, there is a prevailing rule of one member per country.

Contrary to a long tradition of cooperation of PKN with international organizations, that abide by the rule of total political neutrality, the “Iron Curtain” was an impediment to cooperation with standards organizations at a European level. At that time only bilateral contacts with other national standards bodies were allowed. It was in 1991 when the Treaty of Europe was signed between the Republic of Poland and the European Union and its Member States. This Treaty opened up possibilities to begin cooperation with European Standards Organizations.

In 1991, PKNMiJ (the predecessor of PKN) was granted the Affiliate status in CEN and CENELEC (taken over by PKN in 1994). This enabled PKN to gain access to information concerning their activities, European Standards and their transposition into Polish Standards. Moreover, PKN’s representatives were authorized to take part in work of Technical Committees and Subcommittees as observers. As the integration process continued, it became possible to gain full membership of CEN and CENELEC. PKN met all necessary conditions on 1 January 2003, when the present Standardization Law came into force.

PKN was granted the status of a full member of these organizations on 1 January 2004. As a member it has the right to participate in technical and decision-making bodies. PKN representatives are members of CEN and CENELEC Administrative Boards (CA) and Technical Boards (BT) as well as their advisory bodies (e.g. CACC External Policy, CGF) and policy working groups.

Participation of PKN experts in Working Groups (WG) of CEN and CENELEC Technical Committees (as of December 2011) is as follows:

Each member of CEN and CENELEC has the right to run secretariats of committees and subcommittees of these organizations. PKN is currently responsible for three CENELEC reporting secretariats (CLC/SR):

• SR7 Overhead electrical conductors,
• SR27 Industrial electroheating and electromagnetic processing,
• SR90 Superconductivity.