Does that actually mean "freely" (as in beer) available, or it must be able for anyone to be procurred?

I would assume that France, like many countries heavily rely on ISO standards, which in many cases cost some money. Or is it the case that those standards are not explicitly mandated, but are essentially only fulfillable by knowing the ISO standard?

When the EU legislates compliance with a standard into law, they pay the standards body for a license covering all EU residents and citizens

Giving a nice incentive for a standards body to lobby EU politicians to write their standard(s) into law proposals.

Success? Ca€€hing! (sound of cash register)

In French

https://www.francenormalisation.fr/les-acteurs-de-la-normali...

If there is only knowing the norm that makes you able to follow the law that refers it then it's a "obligatory norm" and must be readable without cost.

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/article_lc/LEGIARTI00004...

List of such norms in spreadhseet linked here:

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/contenu/menu/autour-de-la-loi...

In the Netherlands it doesn’t quite work like that in reality. There’s a whole bunch of laws that refer to norms indirectly. In theory you could meet requirements without them but in practice it is absolutely impossible.

Interesting, could you cite one such law and norm?

Are you sure France is a democracy and not a republic?