Application of a foreign trade regime: standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment in Ukraine

December 9, 2004.

    *** The EU funded project “Application of a foreign trade regime: standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment in Ukraine” and DERZHSPOZHIVSTANDARD of Ukraine (DSSU) would like to inform that the formal conclusion of the project will be presented on December 9, 2004 at 16:00 pm in the premises of the Delegation of the European Commission in Kiyv, 10 Kruhlo-Universitetska St.
    The project supported standardisation and conformity assessment in Ukraine, with a budget from the European Union of 1,413,884 Euros. This amount was used to assist Derzhspozhivstandard of Ukraine (DSSU), the national Standards Institute and other bodies in-charge for accreditation, testing, and conformity assessment. Following the independence, Ukraine has started updating its standardisation and conformity assessment system in line with the requirements of possible future Word Trade Organisation membership and in alignment with norms and standards of the European Union, including the preparation of new Laws and technical regulations, the training and qualification of technical staff, the international recognition of laboratories and an increased international activity.
    From August 2003 up to December 2004, the consortium made of AFNOR (the French Standards Body), UNI (the Italian Standards Body) and SWEDAC (the Swedish Accreditation Agency) have provided support to Derzhspozhivstandard of Ukraine (DSSU), which is the Ukrainian Standards Body and is also in charge for consumers protection, as well as to other bodies. Through technical advice and training, including seminars in Ukraine and internships in EU, the project has helped develop a modern quality infrastructure.
    Some spectacular results should be stressed. For instance, the two laboratories of UkrMetrTestStandard on Toys and on Foodstuff have been accredited by an internationally recognised accrediting body, LATAK from Latvia. This gives the Ukrainian manufacturers easy access to a recognised testing and certification facility, at reasonable prices and with less transportation or language problems than before.
    This will help Ukraine produce and export with a competitive advantage, and will promote economic growth and employment. Another example of the successes of this project is the election of Ukraine as a member of the Governing Council of the International Standards Organisation (ISO), making it one of the prominent actors of the global standardisation process, and allowing DSSU, to promote the interests of the Ukrainian consumers and manufacturers worldwide.
    For more information please contact:
    Press and information section of the Delegation or
    of the European Commission in Ukraine EuropeAid Project 113921/C/SV/UA office Kiev
    10, Kruglo-Universitetskaya St., phone: 462 00 10 174, Gorkogo St., phone: 268 94 47
    Background information
    “Application of a foreign trade regime:
    standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment in Ukraine”
    implemented by the Consortium AFNOR–SWEDAC–UNI and DERZHSPOZHIVSTANDARD of Ukraine (DSSU) has achieved the following results:
    1 - Harmonisation of legislation: in order to facilitate the protection of consumers and to ensure a free competition a legal structure has been developed, in particular Draft Laws and Technical Regulations on General Safety of Products, on Suppliers’ Liability and on Technical Regulations. The current Laws on Standardisation and on Conformity Assessment have been assessed, and the main European Directives have been translated and prepared for implementation, including Safety of Toys, Low Voltage Equipment (LVD), Electro-Magnetic Compatibility (EMC), Household Electrical Refrigerators, Safety of Machinery, Simple Pressure Vessels (SPV) and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
    2 – Human resource development and training: the project has organised training seminars and internships for Ukrainian specialists in Europe, including on Certification of Toys, Certification of Food Products, Metrology, EU (European Union) procedures on Standardisation of LVD and EMC, EU procedures in the SPV Directive and in the field of Standardisation of Machines.
    3 – Institutional capacity building: two testing laboratories (on Toys and on Foodstuff) have been prepared and trained and have received full internationally recognised Accreditation according to the ISO/IEC 17025 standards. Three more laboratories (LVD, EMC and PPE) have been trained and will be able to apply soon for accreditation.
    4 – Promotion of International Relations: intensive contacts have been established between the Ukrainian Bodies and the European and International organisations in the fields of Standardisation and Accreditation. The election of DSSU as a member of the Governing Council of the International Standards Organisation (ISO) and as a Partner Standardisation Body in the European Standardisation Committee (CEN) are among the most spectacular results of the project work.