Normalisation et concurrence internationale : La politique de qualité alimentaire en Europe

In this article we wish to show, according to different economical approaches, that normalization creates contradictorial and situated tendencies in the frame of the economical globalization. One actor may hesitate to adopt standards since their building and their adoption modify their duties and their justifications. Thus, conditions of competition between firms and between « normalization areas » may be changed. In this way, the main point becomes the socio-eco- nomical process itself of the standards building. The article is based on several examples in the agricultural and food sector.