The Commission adopts a proposal to speed up the development of standards and improve the EU’s competitiveness

The European Commission has proposed modernising the European standardisation system with the aim of making it faster and better geared to supporting the European Union’s strategic interests, and increasing the representation of small and medium-sized enterprises. Standards are essential to the functioning of the EU economy. They help to ensure safety and interoperability, provide legal certainty and facilitate market access across all sectors, from clean technologies and batteries to construction products, cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing.

Harmonised European standards play a key role in helping businesses demonstrate compliance with EU legislation, reduce costs and improve quality and consumer confidence. However, the current standardisation system faces challenges in keeping pace with rapid innovation and technological advances, which require the timely development of standards.

Consequently, the Commission is proposing a review of the existing legislation to ensure that the development of standards is better tailored to needs, whilst preserving its strengths, such as public-private collaboration involving European standardisation organisations.

A faster and more effective system:

The proposal introduces clearer deadlines for the development of standards requested by the Commission and clarifies the use of common specifications as a specific alternative measure. The Commission also proposes to allow greater use of external technical specifications under defined conditions and with appropriate safeguards. Furthermore, it would allow interim results to serve as a basis for conformity. This would help innovative solutions reach the market more quickly, whilst full standards are being developed.

The Commission also proposes to allow other standardisation organisations to contribute to technical work when urgent or highly specialised needs arise. The Commission estimates that these measures would collectively reduce the average time taken to develop a standard from six to four years, thereby increasing the Union’s ability to influence standardisation at global level and simplifying businesses’ access to the single market.

A more inclusive and accessible system:

The proposal introduces provisions that strengthen the obligations of European and national standardisation organisations to ensure the effective participation and representation of small and medium-sized enterprises, civil society, academia and public authorities in the standardisation process. The proposal also introduces transparency and accountability requirements. Broader participation will bring a greater diversity of expertise to the standardisation process.

Following recent judgments by the Court of Justice of the European Union, the Commission proposes to codify these standards to ensure free access to those drawn up under EU law through the creation of specific repositories, thereby facilitating access for businesses, public authorities, civil society and citizens.

A stronger and more coordinated European voice on the international stage:

As standards play an important role in the marketing of products, jurisdictions that invest in standard-setting are more likely to see their standards adopted globally. Given this geopolitical importance, the proposal also helps to strengthen the Union’s coordination on international standardisation. This will foster a more coherent approach, helping to promote European interests whilst respecting WTO principles.

The Commission also proposes to establish a Centre of Expertise on European Standardisation to ensure stronger strategic direction, better coordination between policies and greater alignment between standardisation work and the EU’s priorities.

Next steps:

The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union will now examine the proposed measures before they are adopted and enter into force.

Background:

European standardisation has long been a cornerstone of the single market, helping to remove technical barriers by providing a common framework for products and services across the Union.

The system is currently based on cooperation between recognised European standardisation organisations (CEN, CENELEC and ETSI), national standardisation bodies, industry, public authorities, consumer representatives, trade unions, environmental organisations and other stakeholders.

The current framework for European standardisation is set out in Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 on European standardisation, which establishes the legal basis for the development of European and harmonised standards in support of Union legislation and policies.

Over the last decade, the EU has taken steps to strengthen this framework, in particular through the EU Strategy on Standardisation and the 2025 evaluation of Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012.

The current proposal builds on this work, updating the system’s governance and tools so that it can continue to support innovation, competitiveness and the Union’s broader policy objectives in a rapidly evolving economic and geopolitical context.

 

More information: European Commission