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How are standards developed?

Montenegrin standards are developed and published in compliance with the principles and rules established by international and European standardization organizations. The development of the European Standard (EN) is governed by the principles of consensus, openness, transparency, national commitment and technical coherence and consists of several steps.

Some of these steps are as follows:

Any interested party can submit a proposal for new work that meets the needs of the market in a particular area.

When the relevant Technical Authority accepts the project for the development of EN standard, Member States should put on hold all national activities under the project. This means that they do not launch new projects, nor revise existing standards at national level. This commitment is called "standstill" and allows the effort to develop the EN standards.

European standards are developed by designated experts from specific technical bodies (technical committees) - working group.

Once the draft EN is prepared, it is divided into public commentary and voting, a process known as "public hearing". During this phase, anyone with an interest (for example: producers, public authorities, consumers, etc.) can comment on the draft. These views are collected by members who then submit a national position and which is subsequently analyzed by the CEN Technical Body. If the results of the public hearing show approval for the EN standard, the technical body (committee) may decide to publish the standard.

If the results of the public hearing show that the draft EN standard requires technical refinement, the technical body (committee) may decide to update the draft and resubmit it for a second vote, called a formal vote.

EN standard is published after its approval. Published EN standard must be given the status of a national standard in all member states, which are also obliged to withdraw every national standard that is in conflict with that EN. This ensures that the manufacturer has easier access to the market of all member states when applying European standards.

To ensure that the EN standard remains up to date, it shall be reviewed within five years of publication. This review may result in the confirmation, amendment, revision or withdrawal of the EN.