Currently, 51 European standards (ENs) to do with railway track have been published, a further 46 draft standards in the same field are at various stages of processing. This report outlines how European standards for railway track come into being and describes the bodies that are responsible for drawing them up. We are used to hearing citizens of the European Union complaining that far too many rules and regulations - some of them "nonsensical" - get adopted by "civil servants sitting in Brussels". Typical examples include provisions regarding the curvature of cucumbers [1] or the size of apples [2]. However, many European standards are not drawn up by "civil servants" in Brussels at all, but by "interested circles", such as manufacturing industry! Consumers, traders and producers all have a very good case to put forward in favour of uniform classifications and safety standards throughout Europe, with a view to eliminating any barriers to trade in goods.
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