Background
The below comments have been drafted in reply to the systematic review of the ISO/IEC 17:2016 that was launched in January this year. During the review, stakeholders can indicate whether the Guide should be confirmed, revised or withdrawn.
In the context of this review it is important to consider that the ISO/IEC Guide 17 has the same content than the CEN-CENELEC Guide 17 with the same title.
The Guide is still relevant, but could benefit from a revision
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make up the largest part of the global business landscape, They are a crucial part of international value chains and key in ensuring economic growth, innovation, and job creation. Indeed, SMEs stand for 90% of businesses worldwide and create 50% of jobs globally1. These numbers are even higher in Europe with SMEs accounting for 99,8% of all companies and creating 66.5% of all jobs. SMEs are also potentially the biggest users of standards and it is essential their specific needs and interests are taken into account in the standards development process.
Read full SBS comments here