New or changing technical regulations in different countries can create unnecessary and unjustified technical barriers to trade. Discrepancies between product rules can impose additional costs on exporting enterprises and restrict inter-EU trade. The European Commission’s objective is to prevent the creation of these barriers and help enterprises trade freely in the EU and beyond.
To help prevent the creation of technical barriers to trade, the Commission manages two notification procedures:
The two notification procedures allow for the examination of any national technical regulation before it is adopted. This allows the Commission and EU countries to:
The Directorate-General (DG) for Internal market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs coordinates the two procedures, consults all other relevant DGs, and prepares responses to ensure the compatibility of national technical regulations with EU law and WTO rules. Industry and other stakeholders are welcome to contribute to both procedures by sending their concerns to the Commission.
