European Commission adopts the 2018 AUWP for European standardisation
Published over the summer, the 2018 Annual Union Work Programme (AUWP) indicates which standards and standardisation deliverables the European Commission intends to request from the European Standardisation Organisations in 2018. It builds on the Commission’s 2017 Work Programme and the EU’s overall strategic objectives and covers many areas of standardisation, some beyond of immediate interest to SBS, while others touch on or are related to the work of SBS.
European Commission adopts the 2018 AUWP for European standardisation
Published over the summer, the 2018 Annual Union Work Programme (AUWP) indicates which standards and standardisation deliverables the European Commission intends to request from the European Standardisation Organisations in 2018. It builds on the Commission’s 2017 Work Programme and the EU’s overall strategic objectives and covers many areas of standardisation, some beyond of immediate interest to SBS, while others touch on or are related to the work of SBS.
As in previous years, there is much emphasis on the digital single market and on the energy union strategy. The Communication notes the progress on the priorities on ICT standardisation, namely the 5G communication networks, Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, cybersecurity etc.
For the construction sector, the focus will be on improving the measurement of energy consumption of devices used in buildings, supporting Smart Cities through green and innovative procurement as well as giving end-users information on the performance of district heating/cooling systems.
The Work Programme also mentioned actions in support of the circular economy action plan, which covers durability, reusability, recyclability and documentation on material efficiency aspects and actions in support of a deeper and fairer internal market with a strengthened industrial base,
International cooperation is now a major focus for EU standardisation. The European Commission is keen to strengthen the competitiveness and global reach of European industry by reducing technical barriers to trade (TBTs), and to enhance worldwide interoperability by using common technically aligned standards that support trade in goods and services.
According to the AUWP, the Commission aims in 2018 to intensify its policy dialogue with international standardisation actors. It will also set up an observatory of international standardisation activities and a financial support mechanism to help experts to participate in international standardisation meetings.
For the unpublished harmonised standards, the Commission – together with CEN-CENELEC and ETSI – is developing an action plan to address the issue. Finally, the programme also refers to the need for the Joint Initiative on Standards (JIS), in which SBS actively participates, and which has amongst its goals to modernise, prioritise and speed up the timely delivery of standards
One concrete proposal, of particular interest to SBS, is the Commission’s intention to organise an inter-institutional training. The goal is to raise awareness among policy-makers about the role of standards in implementing legislation.
There is also a chapter on ‘inclusiveness’ – or how to better ensure the participation of SMEs and societal stakeholders in the standardisation process. The Commission said it will continue monitoring such developments, especially under the Joint Initiative on Standardisation (JIS), while also reaching out more to international partners.
Lastly, the Communication announced the upcoming publication of a Commission report on implementing EU standardisation policy. This report will serve as a basis for inter-institutional dialogue with the European Parliament and Council.
Reaching out to National Standardisation Organisations
Since early 2017, SBS has undertaken a tour of bilateral meetings with the National Standardisation Organisations (NSOs).
As set out in Article 6 of EU Regulation 1025/2012, European NSOs are encouraged to facilitate SMEs’ access to standards and the standards development processes. Through its NSOs meetings initiative, SBS is engaging bilaterally with the different NSOs and gaining a better overview of smaller companies’ involvement in the standardisation process. This will enable SBS to draw up some good practices for SMEs. It is also an opportunity for SBS to reach out to trade associations in these countries, so as to raise their awareness about the benefits of standards and the possibilities for them to participate in the process.
To date SBS has met with the NSOs of Iceland, Sweden and Denmark and enjoyed fruitful exchanges with each of them. Meetings with the NSOs of Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have already been arranged and others are in preparation. SBS intends to have met with all European NSOs by the end of 2019.
New construction Standardisation Officer joins SBS
Adam has been involved with the construction products sector for more than 25 years, starting in the UK in 1991. He then spent three years seconded to the European Commission, before becoming one of the European Committee for standardisation (CEN) Consultants for construction. He also spent four years as Commission Consultant to EOTA (European Organisation for Technical Assessment). In addition to working directly with EU construction products legislation (CPD/CPR), he has been involved in Technical Assistance to transitional and developing countries.
Adam’s work in the Technical Assistance field included drafting laws for construction products in Syria and Kosovo. He also assisted manufacturers to obtain CE marking (in the construction products sector and other areas such as electrical products and personal protective equipment) and provided training on market surveillance under the EU CPR (Construction Products Regulation).
Adam looks forward to working with SBS and its experts, and can be contacted at adam.pinney@ebc-construction.eu.
SBS Construction Forum on 11 October 2017 on the CPR
This year’s Forum is open to everyone, so we look forward to welcoming numerous participants. Please take this opportunity to make your voice heard on these crucial subjects by confirming your attendance. Register on the EBC website.
CEN-CENELEC Initiative on Digital Transformation: an opportunity for SMEs
The digital transformation in standardisation is a long-awaited development. It is expected to offer SMEs, users, consumers and researchers a good opportunity to elevate their technologies and processes to the status of European standards. Generally speaking, this transformation should also facilitate the market’s uptake of innovation.
SMEs can also significantly benefit from this CEN-CENELEC initiative, which will encourage them to contribute more easily and directly to European standards development. Moreover, the initiative is a decisive step to reduce some of the barriers that have been identified among the most discriminatory for accessing standardisation, e.g. the amount of time required to follow standardisation activities as well as travel and subsistence costs (EIM Business & Policy Research, 2009. Access to Standardisation. Study for the European Commission, Enterprise and Industry Directorate-General).
A webinar organised by CEN-CENELEC on 10 November 2017 will present the state-of-play for the Joint CEN-CENELEC Working Group ‘Online Standardisation Platform’ under the Digital Transformation Initiative. The webinar will discuss possible models for the modernisation and digital transformation of standards development in CEN-CENELEC. Register through the 10-10 webinars’ 2017 calendar webpage.
What is more, the webinar will be presented at the upcoming SBS Experts meeting which will take place on 11 October 2017 in Brussels.
New EU lift standards comes into force