The November newsletter issue out!

On 19th October, SBS organised its 2016 Annual Conference on “Smart standardisation for SMEs”. This second edition, as part of a series of annual conferences on the standardisation process, its impact on SMEs and its benefits, focussed on “Reinforcing the cooperation within the standardisation community”. With SMEs at the centre of discussions, the speakers addressed the importance of standards in boosting competitiveness for SMEs, the value of being involved in the standardisation process, and the shift from European to international standardisation.

The discussions covered the importance of standards in boosting innovation and competitiveness of SMEs and their internationalisation, as well as an assessment of the standards regulation and the voluntary nature of standards.

President Gunilla Almgren confirmed that SBS will keep insisting on the need for mandatory standards to be accessible and less costly for SMEs. Standards are increasingly developed at international level which contributes to widening the gap between the drafting process and the standard users. Indeed, decisions taken at international level can impact a micro-enterprise operating at local level. It is therefore crucial for smaller companies to get involved, or to be represented, at all levels (national, European or international level) to ensure that the developed standards are SME-friendly.