On 13 June, SBS signed up to Joint Initiative on Standardisation in the presence of Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska. This initiative focuses on 15 concrete actions aimed at modernising, prioritising and streamlining the
delivery of standards by the end of 2019, some of which are specifically designed for smaller companies. The signature relates to the publication by the European Commission early June of a series of documents relating to
standardisation. These documents highlight the increasing recognition of standards at EU level and the importance of better integrating SMEs in the standardisation process so as to ensure that standards can be used by
smaller companies.
President Gunilla Almgren emphasised that effective standards enable SMEs to more easily access markets for their products in all countries across the European Union and abroad. The EC’s publication is comprised of a
communication on standards, a guidance on service standards, the Joint Initiative on European Standardisation, evaluation reports on the European Standardisation System as well as the Annual Union work programme for
European standardisation. The Joint Initiative on European Standardisation, which foresees a specific action to improve the representation of the interests of SMEs in international standardisation processes, is a step in the right direction.