- The event was attended by the Chairman and the Director General of UNE, Alfredo Berges and Javier García, respectively; the Governor of SASO, Dr. Al-Kasabi; representatives of UNE members with an interest in exporting to the Saudi Arabian market; the Director of the Spanish Metrology Center (CEM), José Ángel Robles; and the Assistant General Manager for Quality Assurance and Industrial Safety of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Manuel Prieto.
- Spain is a leading trading partner in the Middle East, and Spanish companies are among the top exporters to Saudi Arabia, especially in sectors such as machinery, electricity, construction, renewable energies and engineering.
- In addition to being the Saudi standardisation body, SASO is the authority that regulates the requirements for access to this market for consumer and industrial products.
Madrid, 25 July 2023 - The Spanish Association for Standardization (UNE), and the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Association (SASO), have held a high-level meeting with a view to facilitating access to this international market for Spanish companies. This meeting was held within the framework of the agreement signed by both companies in 2022 to strengthen collaboration in international standardisation, with the aim of reinforcing the quality infrastructure and trade competitiveness in the industrial sector in both countries.
The event was attended by the Chairman and the Director General of UNE, Alfredo Berges and Javier García, respectively; the Governor of SASO, Dr. Al-Kasabi, and senior managers of the organisation; as well as representatives of UNE members with an interest in exporting to the Saudi market. It was highlighted that standards are a very powerful instrument for facilitating trade and market harmonisation, as they help economic sectors to promote the internationalisation of their companies and promote export.
Spain is a leading trading partner in the Middle East, and Spanish companies are among the top exporters to Saudi Arabia, especially in sectors such as machinery, electricity, construction, renewable energies and engineering. Thus, having a first-hand understanding of the requirements for accessing this market is key to strengthening trade relations between both countries.
SASO, in addition to being the Saudi standardisation body, a member of ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), is the authority that regulates the access requirements to the Saudi market for consumer and industrial products, as well as the national metrology body. A bilateral meeting was also held to highlight the role of standards in reinforcing quality infrastructure and trade competitiveness in the industrial sector. Participants at the event included the Director of the Spanish Metrology Center (CEM), José Ángel Robles, and the Assistant General Manager for Quality Assurance and Industrial Safety of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Manuel Prieto.
The meeting highlighted the importance of standardisation as an example of public-private collaboration, and the leading role of industry in standard content design and in shaping the market. It was also underlined that standards facilitate compliance with the regulations, helping to develop safe and quality products, and boosting the competitiveness and innovation of organisations.
