Moreover, the Communication presents four immediate actions that the Commission will undertake to enhance the efficiency, transparency and legal certainty for the actors involved in developing harmonised standards:
- Eliminate, as rapidly as possible, the remaining backlog of harmonised standards that are not yet published in the Official Journal of the European Union;
- Streamline internal decision-making processes, in particular the decision to publish the references to harmonised standards in the Official Journal;
- Develop a guidance document on the practical aspects of implementing the Standardisation Regulation, in order to clarify the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders involved in standardisation;
- Reinforce, on an on-going basis, the system of consultants to support swift and robust assessments of harmonised standards and timely publication in the Official Journal
Lisbon seminar attracts 60 participants
On 12 December, local SMEs benefitted from a seminar to raise their awareness about standards. This day full of engaging and inspiring presentations was co-organised by SBS, the Portuguese Industrial Association (AIP) and the Portuguese Institute of Quality (IPQ).During the event, entrepreneurs shared their personal experiences of standards and their thoughts on the potential benefits for companies. The constructive exchange of views between representatives and stakeholders of the Portuguese standardisation system was particularly valuable.
In the afternoon, participants were introduced to available and relevant sources of information and tools on standardisation, and learned how to use these tools during an interactive session. Afterwards, they evaluated the tools and discussed recommendations for business associations on how to cooperate closer with the national and European standardisation bodies.
The goal now is for this workshop’s participants to transfer the knowledge they acquired to other staff members in their association and to SMEs.
In the afternoon, participants looked at concrete examples of how standards can support the implementation of innovative technologies in SMEs.
Now an annual event, the next Construction Sector Forum is scheduled for November 2019.
However, the textile care industry and PPE manufacturers still have to deal with the limited number of notified bodies and the unavailability of some harmonised standards. In view of these challenges, SME Safety and DTV finetuned their plan to expand the cooperation among national associations, by presenting a memorandum of understanding. Several textile care associations have already voiced their support for the initiative that aims to build a network and pool of Europe-wide exchange of information, positions and expertise.