The European standards are pivotal elements necessary to the optimal functioning odf the internal market.
They are designed to reduce costs, promote innovation, ensure interoperability between different devices and services, and help
companies to access markets and they support the EU product legislation.
With this specific purpose, the Commission can call for the development of European harmonised standards to facilitate compliance by manufacturers of the relevant requirements.
Experts analyse them and once there is an agreement on them they are publushed in the Official Journal of the European Union. thses standards become then part of EU law. A reference therefore for companies to get an easy and direct access to the internal market for their products, while protecting the consumer about the high degree of safety.
This concerns of course also medical devices and personal protection equipment.
The EC CEN/CENELEC have agreed to make freely available the standards needed for companies able to produce masks, single-use gloves and other protective equipment.
The final purpose being increasing the production by existing manufacturers, facilitating imports and activating alternative ways of producing equipment.
More info on this decision HERE
