ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the notion of standards and the so-called new approach of the European Community. It provides a discussion of what the main problems for the United States are and aims to make an assessment of the Economic Community (EC) and US positions. The European Community might adopt standards which are not used in the United States or at an international level. The governments of most of the Western European countries, including the ones of the European Free Trade Association, have voting representatives in the European Committee for Standardization/ European Committee for Electro-technical Standardization working groups. The issue of standards does not evolve into big clashes between the United States and the EC for three main reasons: First, the EC position is not so unjust; second, EC standardization creates advantages for US companies; and third, the EC has made a lot of concessions.
