India and Germany discuss new topics for cooperation on standardisation

The first Indo-German Standardisation Forum took place in New Delhi on July 12^th. More than 60 representatives from government and industry as well as standardisation experts came together at this interactive event to discuss India’s and Germany’s approaches and priorities in standardisation.

 
India and Germany highly value their long-standing cooperation on standardisation topics of interest to the industry. This was underlined by Gerhild Roth from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, Anil Bahuguna from the Indian Department for Consumer Affairs as well as experts from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the German Institute for Standardization (DIN) and the German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies of DIN and VDE (DKE).

Standardisation works at the forefront of technological development. Through their cooperation on standards in emerging areas such as electric mobility, cyber security, and machinery safety, India and Germany drive innovation and contribute to sustainable economic development. The forum underlined the commitment to deepen the collaboration on standards for new technologies. This shall be done through informing each other about new standards proposals and partnering up for heading technical committees at the international level, so-called twinning arrangements.

The formulation of standards crucially depends on the involvement of industry experts. Germany and India decided to exchange on ways to enhance the participation also of small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups – for example by making standards more easily accessible through digital tools. Moreover, both sides plan to share experiences on raising awareness for industry’s up-take of standards as well as approaches to attract greater interest of young professionals in standards development.

 
Harmonised standards are beneficial for smooth bilateral trade which both sides are committed to increase. The participants of the forum therefore suggested mapping mandatory Indian standards for their equivalence with international standards to support harmonised standards.

 
India and Germany cooperate within the Indo-German Working Group on Quality Infrastructure, between the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the Indian Ministry for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution. The Working Group has the goal to reduce technical barriers to trade and strengthen product safety through political and technical dialogue of relevant ministries and regulators. As part of the Global Project Quality Infrastructure (GPQI), GIZ has been commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy to support the Working Group.