DOCUMENTS Country Report Expertise Centre COUNTRY REPORT 2006 - 2007

5.2 Standardisation system 

5.2.1    Mobilisation of actors

5.2.2    Network of Turkish experts 

5.2.3    Increase stakeholder participation in the decision process

In order to meet the medium-term objective, i.e. implementation of a Turkish standardisation system comparable to that of the large European countries (UK, France, Germany, Italy) and to give the Turkish stakeholders the same rights and duties as their European colleagues, it is recommended that the following actions be taken:

• mobilise certain stakeholders;
• organise a real experts’ network;
• involve the stakeholders in « political » structures.

5.2.1    Mobilisation of actors

In order to be representative of all interested parties, standardisation requires balanced representation between the various actors. For the time being, the large technical ministries and big companies master normative information fairly well, and consequently, their participation in the work. This is not the case for some other parties. For this reason, it is proposed to concentrate short-term efforts on the following two categories:

• consumer organisations: for the time being in Turkey, no organisation is really involved in the standardisation process;
• professional organisations (Mesleki Kurum ve Kuruluslar), and particularly those representing SMEs (small and medium companies), as these have many difficulties in understanding and following normative news.

Action: Propose specific training actions in order to define the role and place of these organisations within the Turkish standardisation system. These organisations will thus become the indispensable relay between their experts and standardisation.

Pilots: TSE and MIT for consumers and TSE for professional organisations.

Target dates: 2007/2008.

5.2.2    Network of Turkish experts 

Concerning the participation of experts, a new dynamic movement has been launched with the creation of MTCs and the arrival of new experts. However, at the date of January 1^st, 2007, this number is far too small to be truly representative of all Turkish interests. It is therefore recommended to rapidly organise a real network of standardisation experts who will be able to defend the national interests at European and international levels. In order to be efficient, this network should be made up of experts:

• in sufficient number, to represent all interested parties in Turkey;
• technically competent, to be able to perfectly master the techniques and be aware of the consequences of normative choices at a time when standards are more and more complex;
• representative, because the appointment of an expert by a stakeholder involves the latter in the choices made in the course of the standardisation process;
• who master standardisation skills, as knowledge of the procedures and of the content of work upstream and downstream is a useful stake to influence the work content.

Action: launch sectorial registration campaigns depending on normative current events and train new experts as to their rights and duties in standardisation work.

Pilot: TSE.

Target dates: 2007/2008.

5.2.3    Increase stakeholder participation in the decision process  

Standardisation is not only a tool for an industrial policy and a tool for regulation of international trade, but also a tool at the service of the public authorities in order to improve security, health and environment. It involves very important interests. Political choices and their consequences have therefore to be discussed by decision-makers and not by technical experts.

It is recommended to supply at mid term necessary and sufficient normative information to enable Turkish sectoral officials to take appropriate national positions, and possibly participate in political structures at European and international levels.

It is also important, in order to better influence sectoral normative policies, that specific relationships be established between Turkish organisations and the corresponding European and international organisations.

Action. Identify sectoral officials, train these persons and implement the necessary information circuit.

Pilot: TSE in liaison with sectoral organisations.

Target dates: 2008/2009.