Parallel voting procedure

Tod, CEN and ISO cooperate according to the so-called Vienna Agreement of 1991 in order to save resources and to avoid duplication of work or contradictory standard methods in CEN and ISO. Both organizations agreed on basic principles, for example, on synchronized approval procedures or simultaneous publication. Standardization projects started in ISO can be transferred to CEN, if necessary, and vice versa. The transfer process can be started either by the so-called unique acceptance procedure (UAP, see Section 1.3.5) on a finalized ISO or CEN standard or by the parallel voting procedure (PVP, see Section 1.3.5) on a document qualified for an enquiry process (ISO/CEN, 2001). 

Distinctive featnres of the conference are that aU attendees stay in the same hotel, that no parallel sessions are presented and that the posters may be discnssed throughout the entire week. A total of 35 invited lectures have been given, eight of which were selected from the snbmitted poster abstracts. Moreover, 114 posters were presented, mostly by research stndents. Most of the invited lectures are reflected as written contributions in this issne of Macromolecnlar Sjmposia. In addition, the six gronps of anthors, who received most of the votes dnring the election of the poster prize winners, were also invited to contribnte to this volnme. It shonld be noted that aU conference attendees could participate in the voting procedure for the poster prizes. 

If all goes well, and the measure is reported out of committee, cleared through the Rules Committee, and passed by the House, it then goes forward as the engrossed act to the Senate. In the Senate, parallel action may already have been under way, or only later hearings and similar procedures may be initiated on the basis of the act passed by the House. If the version as passed in the Senate differs from the House version, a conference committee is appointed to reconcile differences if possible. Then both Houses must pass on this compromise by new votes. If this hurdle is passed, the act is sent to the President for signature into public law, or it may become law by his failure to sign. Of course, he can also veto it, or let it die by pocket veto. 

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