Orange County

EU Manufacturing Standards Explained: Manufacturers that want to sell their goods in Europe now have to meet a set of uniform manufacturing standards adopted by the 13 European Union nations in an effort to open their borders to free-flowing trade. A half-day seminar on the ISO 9000 standards and obtaining certification for export and sale of goods within the EU begins at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in Newport Beach. Maryavis Bokal, a senior international trade specialist with the Department of Commerce, said a clear understanding of the ISO 9000 rules is particularly important for medical and telecommunications businesses that proliferate in Orange County because European requirements for how products are manufactured can be substantially different from U.S. standards. The $45 session, sponsored by the Commerce Department and the nonprofit Southern California District Export Council, will be at the Commerce Department’s branch office at 3300 Irvine Ave., Suite 305, Newport Beach.