European Commission launches standardisation strategy

The European Commission has published a ‘EU Strategy on Standardisation’ aimed at ‘strengthening EU’s global competitiveness, enabling a resilient, green and digital economy, and enshrining democratic values in technology applications’. To help the EU anticipate, prioritise, and address standardisation needs in strategic area (such as chips certification and data standards), the Commission is proposing actions such as the creation of a high-level forum to inform standardisation priorities, and the establishment of the function of a Chief Standardisation Officer to ensure guidance across the Commission on standardisation activities. Improving the governance and integrity of the European standardisation system is another goal outlined in the strategy. To this aim, the Commission is proposing an amendment to the Regulation on standardisation, so that ‘mandates at the request of the Commission to the European standardisation organisations must be handled by national delegates – the national standardisation bodies – from the EU and EEA member states‘. With the goal of enhancing European leadership in global standards, the Commission intends to establish a new coordination mechanism with EU member states and national standardisation bodies, as well as to pursue more coordination with like-minded partners. Also envisioned is the funding of standardisation projects in African and EU neighbourhood countries. Together with the strategy and the proposal to amend the Regulation on standardisation, the Commission has also published a report on the implementation of the Regulation, as well as the 2022 annual work programme for European standardisation.