This workshop, coinciding with the 100-year anniversary of PKN, was a unique opportunity for Polish SME and craft associations, sector representatives, and entrepreneurs to discover how standardisation can drive growth, innovation, and market access during Meeting Standards week in joint collaboration with SBS and SMEunited.
Standards play a crucial role in ensuring the quality, safety, and interoperability of products and services across industries. For SMEs and crafts, engaging with standardisation processes can unlock numerous benefits, including cost savings, compliance with regulations, quality assurance or enhanced access to European and international markets and value chains.
This workshop was a unique opportunity to gain practical insights into the benefits of standards, hear success stories from local SMEs and crafts, and learn how to actively participate in the standards development process and shape the standards that impact your sector.
Program:
- 10:30 REGISTRATION
- 11:00 WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION
– Introduction to the workshop
– Importance of standardisation for SMEs and crafts in Poland
– Overview of the day’s agenda - 11:15 STANDARDISATION IN POLAND ‘HOW DOES THE SYSTEM WORK’?
– Overview of the standardisation landscape in Poland
– Link with standardisation at the European & international level & European legislation
– Strategic importance for the Polish economy - 11:45 Q&A
- 12:00 PANEL DISCUSSION 1: PRACTICAL BENEFITS OF STANDARDISATION FOR SMES
AND CRAFTS
Moderator: Véronique WILLEMS (SME United)
– Real-life success stories (including craft enterprises)
– Discussion on cost savings, market access, interoperability and compliance benefits
– Audience Q&A - 12:50 COFFEE BREAK
- 13:00 PANEL 2: HOW TO GET INVOLVED AND CHALLENGES FOR PARTICIPATION
Moderator: Maitane OLABARRIA UZQUIANO (SBS)
– Resources and support available for SMEs/crafts
– Common challenges faced by smaller businesses and craft enterprises in the standardisation
process
– Best practices and strategies to overcome these challenges
– Success stories from other national contexts
– Audience Q&A - 13:50 CLOSING REMARKS
- 14:00 END OF THE WORKSHOP
- 14:00 – 15:30 NETWORKING LUNCH
