Commission reports on progress towards European standards for 21st century
The new report builds on the Commission’s 2016 Communication setting out a new vision for EU-level standards. By going beyond technical support for harmonisation, the European Standardisation System (ESS) will be better adapted to meet future economic challenges. Included in this report are an overview of developments in previous Annual Union Work Programmes, the Communication on ICT Standardisation Priorities for the Digital Single Market, and the Joint Initiative on Standardisation (JIS) to which SBS is a signatory.
Available in all EU languages, the report covers the new vision’s policy elements, e.g. innovation, better goods and services, jobs and growth, global value chains, and avoiding single market fragmentation. It also looks at cooperation with stakeholders, e.g. JIS, and Annex III organisations such as SBS – which itself works to involve small businesses in standards development. The report highlights the SBS 2018-2021 strategy, adopted in June 2018, to ensure that standards developed are SME-compatible, in line with the ‘think small first’ principle.Greek seminar on standards for small businesses
On 24 January 2018, in the Athens auditorium of the Greek Association of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (GSEVEE), Greek SME and standardisation stakeholders gathered for an SBS seminar aimed at raising awareness on the value of standards for smaller companies. Besides GSEVEE, there was support for the seminar from ELOT, the Greek standardisation organisation, and NQIS, the National Quality Infrastructure System, as well as the Greek Ministry of Growth and Competitiveness. Speakers included representatives from the aluminium and beautician’s sectors, who explained their experience or practice with standards, and Annalisa Tessarolo from DG GROW’s Standards for Growth Unit. Veronique Willems, Secretary General of the European SME umbrella organisation UEAPME, gave an overview of the latest EU-level developments for SMEs.
Twinning seminar for enhanced capacity in Sofia, Bulgaria
SBS Secretariat is now hiring!
SBS is seeking a full-time and highly committed Standardisation Policy Officer, to join its dynamic team in Brussels from early March 2018. Interested candidates can find out more here.
SMEs should benefit from latest EU approach to Standards Essential Patents (SEPs)
For SEPs, high stakes and the diverging interests of technology implementers and patent-holders have created a complex situation. The Commission therefore recently intervened to establish a more balanced and efficient system for all stakeholders. This system notably includes non-discrimination between rightholders and implementers, as well as covering transparency, certification, essentiality checks, patent pools, and awareness-training.
A detailed analysis of the European Commission’s Communication on SEPs was published by the SBS member responsible for the ICT sectoral approach, the European DIGITAL SME Alliance. Read the analysisDigital competences now have their own SME User Guide
Published in December 2017, SBS’s e-CF SME User Guide aims to provide extra support to SMEs making practical use of the e-CF. The Guide contains information on the type of SMEs that stand to benefit especially from implementing the EN 16234 standard. It also outlines the e-CF contents and principles.
Read the e-CF SME User GuideGoing up! IoT coming to lifts through ETSI Smart M2M
Since 2017, SBS has sent a lift sector representative to the ETSI Smart M2M Technical Committee. The objective of the Smart M2M (Machine-to-Machine) standard is to connect lifts to the Internet of Things (IoT). This ‘smart lift’ enables data exchange between the lift and other devices or smart applications. By connecting lifts to the Internet, it will soon be possible to develop better maintenance e-services. Companies can easily monitor a smart lift and switch their core service from ‘fixing a problem after a fault’ to ‘predictive maintenance’ – with clear safety and efficiency advantages. Each lift owner will also be able to provide extra and customised features in lifts, by exchanging data with other devices. This solution could help lift SMEs keep pace with the big companies and maintain their competitiveness in this market. More information
SBS adds new sectoral approach: protective equipment and textile care standards
In extending its sectoral approach like this, SBS brings together two important players with which it already collaborates: the German Textile Care Association (DTV) and SME Safety, the European association of SMEs that manufacture safety products. The two associations will regularly engage with SBS to provide the community with information about standardisation activities and regulatory updates in PPE and Textile Care. A European workshop on this topic will be organised on 7 November 2018 in Brussels.
WATCH & SHARE!