EU agrees upgrade for European standardisation system
Margrethe Vestager - Photo © European Union 2022
(BRUSSELS) - The EU's Council and Parliament reached a provisional political agreement Wednesday on a proposal aimed at improving the governance and integrity of the European standardisation system.
The regulation lays down procedures for developing harmonised standards within the EU. These harmonised standards make it easier to place products on the single market and thereby strengthen the EU's competitiveness.
"Ensuring that data is protected in artificial intelligence or ensuring a mobile device to be secure from hacking, rely on standards," said EC vice-president Margrethe Vestager: "So they must be in line with our democratic values. In the same vein, we need standards for the roll-out of important investment projects, like hydrogen or batteries. And we need to valorise innovation investment by providing EU companies with an important first-mover advantage."
The Standardisation Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 sets the framework for the European standardisation process, allowing the Commission to mandate the three European Standardisation Organisations (ESOs) – CEN, CENELEC and ETSI – to develop European standards in support of EU legislation.
The amendment foresees that, when the Commission requests standards from these organisations, key decisions in the standards-development process are taken by the national standardisation bodies from the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA).
These national standardisation bodies are best placed to ensure an inclusive process with balanced stakeholder consultation and with due respect for EU values, says the Commission.
This is seen as particularly important in strategic areas, such as cybersecurity or hydrogen.
The three European Standardisation Organisations will need to put in place administrative and good governance principles, which will enhance the openness, transparency and inclusiveness of the standardisation processes. In particular, they will draw on the expertise from all relevant parties, including industry, SMEs, civil organisations and academia.
Background
Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 provides a legal basis to use European standards for products and services, identify ICT technical specifications, and finance the European standardisation process. A harmonised standard is a European standard developed by a recognised European Standards Organisation (CEN, CENELEC or ETSI) following a request from the European Commission. Once accepted, these standards become part of EU law and provide manufacturers using them across the Single Market with a presumption of conformity with the requirements of EU legislation, helping to reduce costs for small businesses. The process is based on a public-private-partnership between the Commission and the standardisation community, where the division of roles and responsibilities is guided by the 2012 Standardisation Regulation.
Proposal for a Regulation amending Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 as regards the decisions of European standardisation organisations concerning European standards and European standardisation deliverables
An EU Strategy on Standardisation: Setting global standards in support of a resilient, green and digital EU Single Market