Skip to main content

From Rules to Enforcement: Managing Capacity Constraints in Quality Infrastructure

Published:
ECE/TRADE/497

Markets are becoming more complex, but the capacity to oversee them has not necessarily kept pace. Products are increasingly digital and interconnected, supply chains are more fragmented, and regulatory requirements are expanding—putting traditional models of inspection and testing under growing pressure.

From Rules to Enforcement examines how regulatory and quality infrastructure systems can adapt through risk-based prioritization, strategic selectivity, conformity assessment, digital traceability, information-sharing and cross-border cooperation.

The publication asks a central question: when comprehensive control is no longer feasible, how can regulatory systems remain credible, proportionate and effective? It offers insights for market surveillance authorities, regulators and policymakers seeking more operationally realistic approaches to enforcement in increasingly complex global markets.