Friends of Standardisation
Standards facilitate market access for businesses, build trust in the quality and safety of products and services, eliminate technical barriers to trade, ensure interoperability, support technological developments and the continued digitisation of the European economy. Standards also shape the everyday life of citizens and contribute to achieving the UN-Sustainable Development Goals. The Single Market is one of the greatest achievements of the European Union and standardisation is at its heart. Voluntary standards, driven by market needs, play a crucial role in the development of the Single Market, its advancement and deepening, enabling it to be future-proof for the benefit of businesses and citizens The Joint Initiative on Standardisation reflects this crucial role. It has been a unique voluntary collaborative effort that started in 2016 under the NL-Presidency and that has brought a wide range of partners with an interest in standardisation around the table to help further modernise the European standardisation system and raise awareness of its benefits
Small Business Standards (SBS) is the voice of European SMEs in the standardisation process.
Meet our Members, Experts and the Team who contribute to the work and mission of Small Business Standards.
Find out how to reach us
Standards are everywhere and cover many topics, products and services. From quality management systems and tattooing services to screw head sizes or safety of childcare articles or machinery.
The CE marking is an indicator that a product complies with EU legislation and enables the free movement of products within the European Market
Standards are the result of a consensus-building process involving different interests and stakeholders. Understand the process for the development of standards and how to get involved.
Explore the network of European, International and National standardisation bodies developing standards on diverse topics across different sectors.
Discover where and how to get a specific standard on a topic of interest to your specific sector and information on ongoing standardisation work.
Everything you always wanted to know about standards, their impact on European SMEs and their role in the economy (but were afraid to ask).
Discover main horizontal topics of importance for small businesses in which SBS is actively working to ensure SME views and interests are considered in standardisation and related legislation.
Discover the projects SBS is actively engaged in. Our initiatives span from advancing standardisation across diverse technology sectors to enhancing partnerships that integrate research, innovation, and standardisation. Each project emphasizes our dedication to amplifying SME participation and impact in standardisation.
Enhance your knowledge of standardisation with our suite of learning tools. Tailored to the needs of SMEs, these educational resources provide the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the complexities of the standardisation process and learn about standards in a specific area.
SBS constantly monitors new and existing standardisation requests to ensure SME concerns and key aspects are included during the consultation process.
SBS has developed a test for the assessment of the compatibility of standards with SME needs. Test a standard to see if it can be easily applied by smaller companies!
Discover the information and services that standards bodies offer SMEs to facilitate their access to standards and standardisation.In 2010, CEN and CENELEC adopted the so-called Guide 17, a list of recommendations that standards makers should consider when writing standards to ensure they meet SME needs. The guide was also adopted by ISO and IEC in 2016. Guide 17 is available in several European languages.
The monitoring of standards is an essential tool for SMEs and their associations providing them with a centralised hub for information on relevant new standardisation developments.
SBS aims at influencing EU policies to ensure the needs of SMEs are taken into consideration. SBS position papers offer insights and recommendations on key issues impacting SMEs and standardisation.
Discover insightful studies that present in-depth analysis and research findings on standards, their impact on SMEs and SME priorities.
The SBS newsletter provides an overview of the latest and most important European SME-related standardisation news and announcements. To reach out to the largest possible audience, the content is provided in several languages.
Browse our brochures to find out more about Small Business Standards, its work and for concise overviews on other relevant topics.
The SME Guides and learning materials provide practical and easy-to-understand information on standards, standardisation and related topics.
SBS’ annual reports provide a comprehensive summary of the association’s activities, achievements and impact over the past years, demonstrating its continuous commitment to SMEs.
Keep up to date with the latest news from SBS!
In this section, we provide you with the latest SME standardisation-related developments.
SBS provides opportunities for learning and networking in the area of standardisations. Check out our upcoming seminars, workshops and events.
SBS regularly issues press releases featuring important announcements, news, and updates on standardisation and its impact on SMEs.
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