HA NOI — The second ASEAN Consultative Committee for Standards and Quality (ACCSQ) Forum, was held today in conjunction with a Seminar on Information Security Management Systems.

This forum aims to promote conformity of standards in ASEAN countries, to support the realisation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), as a single market plugged into the global economy, said Shirly Ramesh.

Ramesh, of the ASEAN Secretariat and Senior Officer of ACCSQ’s Standards and Conformance Unit, said ACCSQ should review current standards policies to assess if a more holistic approach was needed, beyond developments in priority sectors.

ACCSQ should consider formulating policies and strategies for conformity of ASEAN standards beyond 2015, and also look into short term strategies to eliminate technical trade barriers, said Ramesh.

Thomas-Christian Kaiser of the Din German Institute for Standardisation in Berlin, talked about EU experience in promoting deeper economic intergration, and enhancing business competitiveness through harmonisation of technical regulations at the forum held in Ha Noi.

Ramesh stated that providing ASEAN members with a clear vision of how to achieve conformity by 2015, and reiteration of current policy was good regulatory practice and worked toward mutual recognition of current arrangements. — VNS