European units of measurement directives
| European Union directive | |
| Title | Units of Measure Directive |
|---|---|
| Made by | European Council |
| Made under | Art. 100 |
| Journal reference | N C 78, 2 February 1971, P 53 |
| History | |
| Date made | 18 October 1971 |
| Came into force | 18 April 1973 |
| Other legislation | |
| Replaced by | 80/181/EEC |
| Repealed | |
| European Union directive | |
| Title | Units of Measure Directive |
|---|---|
| Made by | European Council |
| Made under | Art. 100 |
| Journal reference | L39, 15 February 1980, p. 40–50 |
| History | |
| Date made | 20 December 1979 |
| Came into force | 21 December 1979 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amended by | see text |
| Current legislation | |
As of 2009, the European Union had issued two units of measurement directives: In 1971 it issued Directive 71/354/EEC which required EU member states to standardise on the International System of Units (SI) rather than use a variety of CGS and MKS units then in use. The second, which replaced the first, was Directive 80/181/EEC made in 1979 and amended in 1984, 1989, 2000 and 2009. It issued a number of derogations to the United Kingdom and Ireland based on the former directive.
When the first units of measurement directive was issued, the six members of the EEC had been using the metric system for a hundred years or more. During that time the metric system had undergone a number of changes, particularly in science and engineering. Some industries were based on the CGS variant of the metric system and other on the MKS variant. In 1960, the CGPM published the International System of Units (SI), a coherent version of the metric system based on the MKS variant. Directive 71/354/EEC sought to rationalise the system of units within the EEC by standardising on SI.
The directive catalogued the units of measure that were permitted for measuring instruments (for instance scales), measurements and indications of quantity expressed in units for economic, public health, public safety and administrative purposes. The catalogue was consistent with the SI standard. The directive explicitly proscribed a number of mainly CGS units of measure that were not to be used after 31 December 1977.
The directive explicitly exempted member states from having to use those units of measure in the catalogue in situations where other units of measure had been laid down by international intergovernmental conventions or agreements in the field of air and sea transport and rail traffic.
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