Deharmonization by harmonization

Rules and standards in Europe should be harmonized if distortions in competition are to be avoided. This, however, can become problematic when dealing with safety regulations. There would be no difficulty if an EC Directive were more stringent than in any member country. If one bears in mind that, in most cases, an EC Directive or Rule is a mere compromise between individual member countries, it is clearly only seldom that this can happen. The consequences of such a compromise can turn out to be bizarre, as in the case of explosion-proof vehicles.

Keywords:

• Harmonization
• Product Liability
• Explosion-proof Vehicles
• Technical Standards