ASTM International Opens Office in Brussels, Belgium
ASTM International has opened a new Office of European Affairs in Brussels, Belgium. Ms. Sara Gobbi will lead the office as ASTM Director of European Affairs. The primary function of the office is to engage in outreach activities that raise greater awareness of ASTM among European institutions, business and trade associations, environmental and consumer groups, and other significant European stakeholders. As a leading member of the world standards community, ASTM International's presence in Europe is broad, with members and customers in every member country. European members are increasingly engaged in the leadership of ASTM technical committees that develop international standards in areas such as materials research and additive manufacturing and general aviation. For more information, contact sgobbi@astm.org. MORE
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ASTM International Seeks to Engage European Members and Stakeholders
ASTM is fortunate to count more than 1,500 members from every member nation of the Europe Union. These members come from large multinational corporations, small- to medium-sized enterprises, universities and research institutes, testing laboratories, governments, and consumer and environmental organizations. Increasingly, ASTM members from Europe have taken on leadership roles in ASTM by serving as technical committee officers or even serving on the ASTM board of directors. The ASTM Office of EU Affairs has formed an ASTM European Members Group (AEMG) to effectively engage European members and stakeholders. AEMG participants stay in contact with ASTM staff primarily through conference calls, webinars and other channels to review initiatives and provide feedback and insight. Topics of interest include how to raise deeper awareness and connections with European industry and stakeholders, how to work more effectively and collaboratively at the European level with European standards organizations, and how to identify government policies at the European or national level that may act as barriers to the more effective acceptance and use of ASTM standards in Europe. For more information or to participate, contact sgobbi@astm.org.
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ASTM International Participates in European Consumer Day on Product Safety
 In March, ASTM's Sara Gobbi joined colleagues from across the EU at the 15th edition of European Consumers Day in Brussels. The event focused on issues related to product safety and market surveillance. The conference highlighted speakers from various stakeholders interested in protecting health and safety of consumers including DG Health and Consumers and the European Association for the Coordination of Consumer Representation in Standardization (ANEC). Carol Pollack Nelson, 2013 President of the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization and vice chairman of ASTM Committee F15 on Consumer Products, was a panelist. She discussed current challenges and future opportunities and highlighted her role as an ASTM technical committee member in updating international standards for consumer products. In today's global economy, international standards developed by ASTM directly or indirectly affect European consumers, and ASTM International welcomes the participation of ANEC and other EU stakeholders that share a common commitment to making products safer for all consumers. |
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ASTM International Joins Trans-Atlantic Business Council
Seeking to connect more directly with the business community on transatlantic cooperation and trade issues, ASTM International has joined the Trans-Atlantic Business Council (TABC). TABC is a cross-sectoral business association representing 70 global companies headquartered in the U.S. and EU - many of which actively participate in ASTM's global standards development activities. The organization's mission is to promote a barrier-free transatlantic market that contributes to economic growth, innovation and security; foster discussion and the exchange of ideas among business and government leaders; and serve as a platform for engaging others in the global economy. TABC provides one voice for EU and U.S. companies in current discussions concerning the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, in which standards and regulatory convergence has emerged as a key objective. For more information, visit transatlanticbusiness.org.
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ASTM and ISO Additive Manufacturing Committees Meet in the United Kingdom
 More than 90 participants from over 10 countries attended the July 10-11, 2013, meetings of ASTM International Committee F42 on Additive Manufacturing Technologies, which were held in Nottingham, United Kingdom. Committee F42 was formed in 2010 at the request of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers' Rapid Technologies and Additive Manufacturing Steering Committee. The recent UK meeting was a great opportunity to hold a strategic planning session for a joint standard roadmap exercise for F42 and ISO TC261, whose collaborative efforts are governed by a Partner Standards Developing Organization cooperative agreement between ASTM International and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). While ASTM experts and staff are collaborating with other international standards bodies such as ISO in this exciting area, additional engagement at the European level is occurring through ASTM engagement in the European Committee for Standardization Stair Platform on Additive Manufacturing and an Additive Manufacturing Standardization project called SASAM. The SASAM effort serves as a venue for communication and exchange in regards to innovation and research initiatives that may assist in future standardization efforts. Scott Johnson from Boeing presented an overview of ASTM activities at a recent SASAM meeting. MORE
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ASTM President Hosts European Parliament's Malcolm Harbour
 ASTM International President James A. Thomas met with Malcolm Harbour, a member of the European Parliament for West Midlands, England, and chairman of the European Parliament Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee, during Transatlantic Week 2013 in Washington, D.C. The meeting included a discussion about the European Standardization Package which went into effect Jan. 1, 2013; the continued negotiations between the U.S. and EU to create a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership deal; and the recent memorandum of understanding between NIST and the European Commissions' Joint Research Centre to collaborate on projects and focus on research priorities. ASTM has a growing membership of several hundred technical experts from large and small entities in the UK, such as BP, Unilever, AstraZeneca, UK Defense, Child Accident Prevention Trust and the UK Chief Fire Officers Association, that participate in ASTM standards development committees. Last year, Harbour was interviewed by ASTM's magazine Standardization News, where he discussed the European standardization system and standardization package in greater detail. MORE
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ASTM Nuclear Fuel Committee Meets in France
 ASTM Committee C26 on Nuclear Fuel Cycle held technical committee meetings and a workshop in Avignon, France, on June 16-21, 2013. The meetings attracted industry representatives from Australia, France, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany. Committee C26 oversees more than 150 standards related to the nuclear fuel cycle, covering topics such as spent nuclear fuel, waste materials and repository waste packaging and storage. The workshop topics included remote equipment design, analytical development and reference material and spent fuel disposal. In conjunction with the event, ASTM member and workshop chairman Bertrand Morel of France organized visits to two sites operated by the nuclear energy company AREVA, where he serves as R&D Manager. For more information on ASTM standards activities in the nuclear field, visit the ASTM Nuclear Portal. The Nuclear Portal brings together the latest information on newly published ASTM standards; proposed revisions to current standards; nuclear-related ASTM standards-developing committees; schedules of upcoming meetings and symposia; and video presentations from nuclear industry officials. MORE
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ASTM Aviation Committees Meet in Germany
 ASTM Committees F37 on Light Sport Aircraft, F39 on Aircraft Systems and F44 on General Aviation Aircraft held their technical committee meetings in Friedrichshafen, Germany, in April prior to the AERO Conference for General Aviation. At the meeting, F37 formed a new technical subcommittee - F37.80 on Consumer Air Sport Products. The creation of this subcommittee was in response to a request by the German authority after some European countries started to implement a regulatory structure for products with a single seat and 120 kg empty weight but with no international standard as a basis for a type inspection. European engagement in these international activities is on the rise and aviation related cooperation with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and other EU authorities is continuing. To foster further collaboration with EASA, ASTM Staff Manager Christine DeJong and ASTM Director of European Affairs Sara Gobbi held a standardization training session at EASA in Cologne prior to the committee meetings. MORE
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ASTM Committee on Manufacture of Pharmaceutical Products Meets at Genzyme's UK Facility
ASTM Committee E55 on Manufacture of Pharmaceutical Products held its technical committee meetings in Suffolk, UK, in April to discuss process control, design and performance, as well as quality acceptance/assurance tests for the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. The committee is beginning to focus on standards development in the biopharmaceuticals area and is seeking additional experts with experience and expertise in this area to join the committee. E55 chairman Graham Cook of Pfizer UK is working with ASTM staff to involve technical experts from European regulatory bodies in the committee. Currently, regulators from the U.S. and Canada are primarily engaged. Prior to the meetings, the group had the opportunity to tour the Genzyme site. Visit www.astm.org/JOIN for information about becoming an ASTM member.
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ASTM Presents at the MENA Conference on Standards and Good Regulatory Practices
ASTM Director of EU Affairs Sara Gobbi traveled to Casablanca, Morocco, in May to present at a conference on Standards and Good Regulatory Practices. The conference supported the efforts of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries to modernize their standardization systems and regulatory processes. Standards officials and government and industry representatives from a dozen countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, UAE and Pakistan attended the conference. Gobbi presented information on how international standards organizations such as ASTM collaborate with national standards bodies via memorandums of understanding that provide access to technical committees, and how ASTM standards can be used with confidence in regulations or as the basis of national adoptions. She also made a more detailed presentation on ASTM standards for green buildings and construction. Other participants in the conference included the International Code Council, UL and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. For more information about ASTM's Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Program with national standards bodies worldwide, visit www.astm.org/GLOBAL.
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Established in 1898,ASTM International is a globally recognized leader in the development and delivery of international voluntary consensus standards. Today, some 12,000 ASTM standards are used around the world to improve product quality, enhance safety, facilitate market access and trade, and build consumer confidence.
ASTM's leadership in international standards development is driven by the contributions of its members: more than 30,000 of the world's top technical experts and business professionals representing 150 countries. Working in an open and transparent process and using ASTM's best-in-class standards development infrastructure, ASTM members deliver standard test methods, specifications, guides and practices that support industries and governments worldwide.
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Erin K. Brennan, Editor
ebrennan@astm.org
Copyright ©2013 ASTM International
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