Standardization package

The European Commission the 1^st of June proposed a series of legislative and non-legislative measures related to the standardization in order to develop more and faster standards. Standards are sets of voluntary technical and quality criteria for products, services and production processes. Nobody is obliged to apply them but they help businesses to work together and to save money in the consumers’ interests. But in the past, it took several years to develop a European standard so that some standards have lagged too far behind rapidly evolving technologies. Consequently, certain sectors have been reluctant to engage in standardization and were unable to benefit from the positive effects of standards. This situation should be changed with the package presented last week.

The European Council of 4 February, in its conclusions on the “Innovation Union”, invited the Commission “to make proposals to accelerate, simplify and modernize standardization procedures, notably to allow standards developed by industry to be turned into European standards”.

European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani, responsible for industry and entrepreneurship said: “To be successful, Europe needs to react to the challenge of rapid innovation, sustainability, convergence of technologies, and fierce global competition. A dynamic European standardization system is essential to spur quality and innovation and to strengthen Europe’s role as a global economic player. Moreover, standards allow us all to have the best quality and sustainable products for a lower price. Standardization is also a key issue for the well functioning of our internal market.”

The most important steps that the Commission took today to strengthen the system of standard-setting in Europe and to implement the commitments of the Europe 2020 flagships are: the promotion of more international standards in those economic sectors where Europe is a global leader, the development of more market-driven European standards for services to give companies commercial advantages, standards elaboration in the ICT sector and a stronger cooperation with the leading standardization organizations in Europe (i.e. CEN, CENELEC and ETSI) so that their standards will be available more rapidly.

Businesses using these standards can make their products more compatible with other products so that consumers will have a broader choice at a lower price.

New European standards will be drafted with the help of organizations representing consumers, small businesses and environmental and social organizations. They will be functional to pursuit policies of sustainability, innovation and assisting the protected categories, opening of markets, consumer protection, protection of safety and savings for businesses and consumers too.

Among the priorities the Commission has determined, in the proposal for a Regulation, to prepare an annual work program on standards, to undertake a review of the directive on general products safety, to establish a high-level group for services to businesses and the undertaking for the standardization of the services sector.

Some of the actions proposed will be implemented immediately while the others need the approval of the European Parliament and the Council.

Proposal for a Regulation

Communication from European Commission