Cablegate: Israel to Sign Agreement with European Standards

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 002755

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS TO USTR: ESAUMS AND SDONNELLY
COMMERCE FOR N.WEIGLER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON ETRD IS ECONOMY AND FINANCE ISRAEL RELATIONS
SUBJECT: ISRAEL TO SIGN AGREEMENT WITH EUROPEAN STANDARDS
ORGANIZATIONS

1. (U) This message is sensitive but unclassified, please
protect accordingly. Not for internet distribution.

2. (SBU) Summary: In a July 2 meeting with EconCouns and
EmbOffs, Israeli officials notified the USG of their intent
to sign agreements with two European standards organizations,
the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the
European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
(CENELEC). At the same time, the GOI requested reexamination
of two pending requests for agreements with the USG in the
fields of telecommunications and pharmaceuticals. End
summary.

3. (SBU) The Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Labor's
(MOITAL) Director of the Foreign Trade Administration Boaz
Hirsch, Director of International Agreements Yair Shiran, and
Commissioner for Standardization joined by the Standards
Institution of Israel's (SII) Director of the Standardization
Divison, Michael Wolf, met July 2 with EconCouns and EmbOffs
to update the USG on the status of GOI negotiations with
European standards organizations CEN and CENELEC. Hirsch
began the meeting by telling EconCouns that he understands
that the issue of standardization is "sensitive" for the U.S.
and he looks forward to resuming negotiations on Mutual
Recognition Agreements (MRAs) on telecoms and pharmaceuticals.

4. (SBU) Wolf explained that his recent negotiations with CEN
focused on the difficulties that Israel would experience with
the U.S. if required to adopt European Standards as the only
national standard for Israel. At the same time Wolf said
that Israeli industry is lobbying the SII to sign an
agreement with CEN, so it can participate in the development
of standards in fields, such as irrigation systems, where
Israel has an active interest in exporting to Europe. Wolf
explained that there is a "gentleman's agreement" with CEN
that would allow Israel to adopt "mutually equivalent"
standards in parallel to the CEN standard, citing "national
deviations." The document that Wolf provided as a template
of the agreement he plans to sign with CEN is an un-revised
copy of the partnership standardization bodies agreement,
available on the CEN website.

5. (SBU) EconCouns reminded Wolf that the U.S. standard
developing organizations have offered assistance and
cooperation in the past, and that it would be hard to explain
the GOI's commitment to funding participation in European
standards organizations, but unwillingness to purchase U.S.
standards. Hirsch clarified that the funding for involvement
in CEN and CENELEC will come mostly from private sector
participants.

6. (SBU) Wolf said that SII negotiations with CENELEC had not
resulted in the same flexibility as with CEN. CENELEC is
adamant that participants adopt as the national standard the
CENELEC standards for all technical bodies in which they
participate. Wolf said that he believes SII will be able to
participate only in the working group level of CENELEC
technical committees, thus limiting the number of standards
it is required to adopt.

7. (SBU) Wolfe said that Israel and the SII will sign
agreements with CEN and CENELEC by the end of the year. He
said that Israel is likely to participate in the irrigation,
homeland security and intelligent transport systems (ITS)
subcommittees of CEN and in the cable committee of CENELEC.

8. (SBU) Comment: While this is the first time that SII
negotiations of an agreement with CENELEC have been relayed
to the USG, the GOI has been looking for a way to engage with
CEN for the last two years. Given that post is not aware of
any case in which the GOI has formally adopted more than one
international standard to help U.S. exporters, post is
unclear how Wolf's proposed "gentleman's agreement" with CEN
to allow for the adoption of "mutually equivalent" standards
will help U.S. exporters. To date a committee of U.S.
exporters, the Embassy, the SII, and the MOITAL has been able
to negotiate "waivers" for U.S. products which do not meet
the Israeli national standard on a case-by-case basis. It is
unclear if the adoption of CEN standards as the national
standard would harm this limited "work-around" solution. End
comment.

9. (SBU) Action request: Post requests information, from
relevant USG agencies, on the potential impact for U.S.
exporters of the decision by SII and the GOI to sign
agreements with CEN and CENELEC, especially regarding
participation in the specific subcommittees named above.

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