European standards and quality labels

Jun 07, 2023 Audit

Agreements to promote trade between European countries

One of the purposes of standards is to show that your product or service meets certain requirements. They demonstrate that the product is safe, reliable and of sufficient quality. Standards are set by independent and officially recognized organizations at national, European and international level.

European standards are important for the European market, since using the same standards everywhere promotes trade between countries in the European Economic Area (EEA). Keep reading this blog to find out more about European standardisation bodies, harmonised standards and European quality labels. 

Who sets European standards?

There are three institutions that set European standards (ENs): 

1. European Committee for Standardization (CEN) 
Standardization for all sectors, with the exception of electrical engineering and telecommunications.  

2. European Committee for Electrotechnical Standards (CENELEC)  
For standards aimed at electrical engineering.  

3. European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) 
For standards aimed at information and communication technology (ICT). This includes fixed, mobile, radio, converged, broadcast and internet technologies.  

These organizations work alongside their international counterparts, such as ISO, IEC and ITU, to harmonize European and international standards as much as possible. European standards must then also be adopted at national level. In the Netherlands, this is the responsibility of NEN, the Royal Netherlands Standardization Institute, which manages more than 34,000 standards (ISO, IEC, EN and NEN) and represents the interests of the Dutch market at an international level. 

What are harmonized standards?

Harmonized standards are a specific category of European standards. They are developed by one or more European standardization bodies and are adopted at the request of the European Commission. These standards therefore support European legislation. Each harmonized standard has an annex, which contains an explanation of the relationship between the requirements of the standard and the requirements of European legislation. Harmonized standards are published in the Official Journal of the EU, which means that 'presumption of conformity' applies. In other words, if you comply with the standard, you can assume that you are doing the right thing legally. 

What are European quality labels? 

In addition to European standards, there are also European quality labels, for example in the fields of energy, sustainability and healthcare. In the Netherlands, for example, BRL 9500 is a derivative of the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). With this European quality label, you meet the requirements for issuing energy performance certificates. This is particularly interesting for construction companies, estate agents and appraisers, among others. There are also European quality labels for sustainability, such as the EU Ecolabel, which is recognised in all EU countries. Companies can use this to demonstrate that their products meet strict sustainability criteria. It can prove particularly worthwhile, especially if you operate internationally. 

Why choose DEKRA for certification of European standards?

DEKRA audits and certifies on the basis of various European standards. Would you like to have your organization certified and would you like to know more about the standards and quality labels that we certify against? View our overview for more information.

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