EU to support modern standardization system in Azerbaijan
By Nigar Orujova
"The European Union will allocate around €1.2 million to Azerbaijan for the development of the modern system of standardization and technical regulations," the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan, Malena Mard said at a presentation of a project related to Twinning Projects in Baku on April 3.
"Twinning Projects have become the effective instrument for the transfer of European knowledge and experience to Azerbaijani colleagues," Mard said.
The EU allocated some 45 million manats between 2007 and 2013 via the projects.
"The projects include different components such as improvement of legislation in the sphere of standardization, strengthening of technical committees' activity and their closer involvement in the activities of international organizations, creation of data base on the basis of the state standards fund and the system for online sale of standards," Ramiz Hasanov, Chairman of the State Committee on Standardization, Metrology and Patents of Azerbaijan said.
Speaking at the presentation, British ambassador to Azerbaijan, Irfan Siddiq and the economic councilor of the French embassy, Herve Sarnelli talked about the importance of the projects.
The European Commission's Directorate-General consultant for industry Norbert Anselman provided the audiences with some details about the projects.
European participants in the projects - which will be implemented in two years - are standardization institutions of the UK, France and Slovenia.
Azerbaijan has the highest number of Twinning Projects, with the good results in the fields of employment and social affairs, internal market and economic criteria, as well as justice and home affairs.
The EU and Azerbaijan are maintaining relations under the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which was signed in 1996 and came into force in 1999. Since then the PCA has provided the legal framework for EU-Azerbaijan bilateral relations in the areas of political dialogue, trade, investment, economic, legislative and cultural cooperation.