Since 1984 more than 12,000 draft regulations have been cleared in relation to EU-trade.

Member States make intensive use of the 98/34 procedure. Foodstuffs and agricultural sectors as well as telecommunications, transport, construction and mechanical engineering are the major areas in which the 98/34 procedure has been applied. In 12% of cases, the Commission found that the new regulations could have hampered trade. However, in more than 95% of these cases, solutions were found before Member States adopted these texts.

All intended national safety regulations have to be entered onto the EU’s TRIS database. Stakeholders can browse legislation proposed by the Member States in which they are interested or that may impact on their business. Notified drafts are classified according to their aim and area of activity.

The TRIS database is a free service available on the Europa portal and is updated daily. Most of the notified regulations can be viewed in all EU languages.