SBS Newsletter – Issue 3 – 2021

The flagship objective of the New Industrial Strategy is the “twin transition” to a green and digital economy, in which European industry will be stronger, more sustainable and more digitally advanced. To achieve this goal, the Industrial Strategy outlines several upcoming initiatives and promotes the creation of 14 “Industrial Ecosystems” – broad sectoral approaches that take into consideration all stakeholders involved in a particular value chain.

SBS welcomes the Commission’s initiative and emphasises that any horizontal approach that considers entire industrial sectors should, first and foremost, meet the needs of SMEs, which represent the overwhelming majority of stakeholders in most industries. SMEs are ready to forge ahead with the twin transition and pick up the gauntlet of becoming more central to innovation, sustainability and growth. However, to achieve this it is crucial that a positive environment is created for SMEs to thrive. SMEs need access to finance, a clear and coherent regulatory structure and manageable administrative requirements among other factors if they are to be in a position to succeed.

At the centre of the New Industrial Strategy is the Standardisation Strategy which is expected to be published before the end of 2021. The prominence of this initiative highlights the central role the European Commission gives to standards as drivers for competitiveness and growth.

SBS welcomes the Commission’s strong commitment towards standardisation and would like to highlight a few key aspects that should be at the heart of the new Standardisation Strategy to increase its impact, inclusiveness and effectiveness.

A first crucial point is to improve the conditions for SME participation in standardisation at national, European and international levels. This means enhancing their participation in strategic discussions concerning standardisation. Their experts should also be able to carry out their work without obstacles, namely by having access to the normative references used in standards under development. Inclusiveness at the international level also remains an important challenge to be addressed since European standards are increasingly being developed at that level. Although steps have been taken towards incorporating the voices of SMEs, particularly in certain standards bodies, there is still room for improvement to ensure stronger and more effective SME participation.

Clarifying and improving the system for the development, assessment and citation of harmonised standards is also of immense importance. All actors within the standardisation system must have clear roles, while the assessment of harmonised standards will need precise, definite criteria. Better foresight and anticipation of future standardisation needs would also create an environment where SMEs are more competitive and better prepared to react to standardisation developments.

A prerequisite for greater SME involvement in standardisation is the development of tools for identifying standards that are relevant to SMEs and monitoring those standards. Effective and established tools, such as the SBS SME Compatibility Test for Standards and CEN-CENELEC Guide 17, should also be promoted in earnest.

Considering that inclusiveness and SME participation are already among the guiding principles of the European Regulation on Standardisation (1025/2012), SBS calls for a full and complete implementation of the Regulation rather than for its revision.

Underpinning the Commission’s vision of standardisation in the EU Industrial Strategy is the declared ambition to increase Europe’s influence on international standardisation. SBS is fully behind this vision and augmented ambition, but these goals can only be achieved if the necessary resources are provided and all economic actors, including SMEs and microenterprises, have the chance to prosper and have their voices heard.

The SBS position paper on the EU Standardisation Strategy can be found in full here.