PhD student: Mr A. Soroiu

Promotor: Mrs Prof E.I.L. Vos

Duration: 1/9/2022 - 31/8/2026

Abstract:

Since the mid-1980s, a public-private partnership has driven the consolidation of the internal market. Through this cooperation, the EU legislature has limited its role to establishing essential safety and health requirements, while leaving technical specifications to the discretion of private (standardisation) actors. With this 'reference-to-standards' legislative strategy, private standardisation has become an intrinsic feature of EU public regulation. However, private standardisation is placed more often than not beyond the purview of the State or the EU, as it is a highly globalised, self-regulated and polycentric activity. As a result, many standards that eventually control the internal market and are the result of global private processes may lack the legitimacy and accountability expected of public regulation. In this light, this research will examine how to ensure a sufficient degree of legitimacy and accountability in EU public regulation in light of the challenges posed by global standardisation in a multi-level governance context.