Interview with Antonio Gecchele, Legal Counsel NBN: Standards in legislation - NBN provides support to legislative and regulatory bodies

Belgian legislation regularly refers to standards to clarify complex technical regulations and support European harmonization. But what does this mean concretely for policymakers? What are the benefits of including standards in legislation, and what should governments consider? In this interview, Antonio Gecchele, NBN's Legal Counsel and DPO, provides some key insights for anyone working with regulations and standards.
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Why do legislative and regulatory bodies rely on standards?

"A standard describes how products, services or processes should meet certain safety, quality, sustainability and performance requirements. For government agencies, standards are actually ready-made building blocks. They bundle national and international expertise and technical knowledge into clear agreements and explanations. By referring to them, government agencies do not have to write out the technical rules themselves. This saves time and resources and ensures greater legal certainty. Moreover, it enables Belgium to easily join the European harmonization."

What are the advantages for government agencies to refer to standards?

"You get consistency, clarity and a better fit with the international market. Legislation becomes stronger and more practically applicable. For government agencies, this means less work on technical details, and more focus on policy goals. For citizens and businesses, it is mainly a guarantee that regulations are clear, up-to-date and reliable."

What should government agencies pay attention to when referring to standards?

"Stating the correct designation of the standard is crucial. An inaccurate or incomplete reference can lead to interpretation problems or even legal uncertainty. Therefore, we always recommend doing this carefully and calling on our expertise if necessary. We guide decision makers step by step."

Specifically, what does NBN offer?

"NBN is an organisation of public interest, under the supervision of the Minister of Economy. We are responsible for the development, publication and distribution of standards in Belgium. For government agencies, we are the point of contact for references to standards in laws and regulations. In addition, an e-learning and a whitepaper have been developed that provide practical guidelines on how to refer to standards correctly. In addition, authorities can contact us directly for personal advice. We are happy to help them.

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Finally, the law of September 25, 2022, which amends Article VIII.2 of the Economic Code, provides for better public accessibility of the standards (including specifically Belgian standards) referred to in laws and regulations. NBN must henceforth make these standards available via its website. Although the practical implementation of this measure is still awaiting a Royal Decree, NBN remains the preferred contact point.

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