CEN (European Committee for Standardization) and CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization) are two of the three officially recognized European Standardization Organizations together with ETSI.
They bring together the National Standardization Bodies and National Committees of 34 European countries to develop voluntary European Standards and other standardization deliverables through a consensus-based process.
European Standards developed by CEN and CENELEC support the European Single Market by helping to ensure safety, interoperability, quality, accessibility, sustainability, and innovation. They are developed with the participation of industry, public authorities, consumer organizations, environmental stakeholders, workers, researchers and other interested parties.
The portfolio of documents (deliverables) produced by CEN and CENELEC, known collectively as CEN and CENELEC publications, covers:
European Standards (ENs)
Standards adopted by CEN or CENELEC and carrying with it an obligation of implementation as an identical national standard and withdrawal of conflicting national standards.
Technical Specifications (TSs)
Documents adopted by CEN or CENELEC for which there is the future possibility of agreement on a European Standard, but for which at present
Technical Reports (TRs)
Documents adopted by CEN or CENELEC containing informative material not suitable to be published as a European Standard or a Technical Specification.
Guides
Documents published by CEN or CENELEC giving rules, orientation, advice or recommendations relating to European standardization. The CEN guides and CENELEC Guides are available through their respective Business Operation Platforms (BOSS).
Harmonization Documents (HDs)
CENELEC standards that carries with it the obligation to be implemented at national level, at least by public announcement of the HD number and title and by withdrawal of any conflicting national standards.
Workshop Agreements (CWAs)
CEN or CENELEC agreement, developed by a Workshop, which reflects the consensus of identified individuals and organisations responsible for its contents.
More information is available from the CEN - CENELEC - Search standards database.
A harmonized standard (hEN) "is a European standard elaborated on the basis of a request from the European Commission to a recognized European Standards Organisation (CEN, CENELEC or ETSI) to develop a European standard that provides solutions for compliance with a legal provision. Such a request provides guidelines which requested standards must respect to meet the essential requirements or other provisions of relevant European Union harmonization legislation.
Compliance with harmonized standards provides a presumption of conformity with the corresponding requirements of harmonization legislation. Manufacturers, other economic operators or conformity assessment bodies can use harmonised standards to demonstrate that products, services or processes comply with relevant EU legislation."
List of harmonized standards - Click on 'Subject (short title of directive)' to view the list of titles and references of harmonized standards under the directive.
CEN and CENELEC develop standards that support a wide range of economic sectors and societal needs across Europe. CEN is responsible for standardization in most sectors (CEN Sectors - CEN-CENELEC) whereas CENELEC is responsible for standardization in the electrotechnical and digital spheres listed here: CENELEC Sectors - CEN-CENELEC
Together, CEN and CENELEC contribute to the development of standards that support the European Single Market, promote innovation and competitiveness, enhance safety and sustainability, and facilitate international trade.
To know more, check the 'Areas of Work' section.
The European Standards published by CEN or by CENELEC are developed by experts, established by consensus and adopted by the Members of CEN or CENELEC. It is important to note that the use of standards is generally voluntary: businesses and other organisations may choose whether to apply them unless legislation, a contract or another binding instrument requires otherwise.
Standards can be used to support EU legislation by providing technical solutions for meeting legal requirements. In particular, applying a harmonized standard whose reference has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union provides a presumption of conformity with the corresponding legal requirements . Manufacturers, other economic operators, or conformity assessment bodies are free to choose available alternative solutions to demonstrate compliance with the mandatory legal requirements.
Read more: Harmonised Standards - Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
Legislation establishes mandatory legal requirements. Standards provide technical specifications, test methods and other practical solutions that can help businesses and organisations meet those requirements.
The European Commission may request CEN, CENELEC or ETSI to develop harmonized standards in support of EU legislation. Once the reference of a harmonized standard is published in the Official Journal of the European Union, applying it may provide a presumption of conformity with the legal requirements covered by that standard.
The use of harmonied standards or other technical specifications generally remains voluntary: manufacturers and other economic operators may use alternative technical solutions to demonstrate compliance, where permitted by the applicable legislation. However, in some cases, legislation, contracts or other binding instruments may require the application of a particular standard or method .
More information: CEN-CENELEC Guide 30: European Guide on Standards and Regulation - Better regulation through the use of voluntary standards - Guidance for policy makers.
A standardization request (previously called Mandate) is a formal request from the European Commission to one or more European Standardization Organization in support of a EU piece of legislation. This can be in support of legislative work such as a Directive (some EC Directives, not all, are 'New Approach' Directives), or in support of an industrial policy action from the European Commission.
EC standardization requests (Mandates) texts are made available from the EC Mandate Database
European Standards are developed through a consensus-based process that is open to a wide range of stakeholders, including industry, SMEs, public authorities, consumer organizations, environmental groups, trade unions, researchers, and academia.
Participation in the development of European Standards takes place primarily through the National Standardization Bodies that are Members of CEN and CENELEC. Interested parties should contact their National Standardization Body (CEN) or National Committee (CENELEC) to be able to:
NSB’s and NC’s represent their national stakeholders and contribute to the development of European Standards through CEN and CENELEC's Technical Committees.
In addition, organizations representing societal interests at European level, such as consumers, environmental stakeholders, workers and SMEs, can participate through recognized European stakeholder organizations that contribute to the standardization process.
To get involved, contact your national NSB or NC:
CEN and CENELEC are the European Standardization Organizations, while ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) are their international counterparts.
To promote global alignment and avoid duplication of work, CEN cooperates closely with ISO, and CENELEC cooperates closely with IEC through formal cooperation agreements.
CEN and ISO Cooperation - CEN-CENELEC
CENELEC and IEC Cooperation - CEN-CENELEC
As a result, many European Standards are based on, or identical to, international standards. When an international standard is adopted at European level, it is published as a European Standard and implemented by the National Standardization Bodies and National Committees of CEN and CENELEC.
The lists of the entire collection of both published standards and standards under development from CEN and CENELEC are available via the 'Search standards' function on the CEN-CENELEC website: CEN - CENELEC - Search standards
Or you can browse through the CEN and CENELEC Technical Committees to consult their publications:
CEN - List of CEN Technical Bodies
CENELEC - List of CENELEC Technical Bodies
The CEN and CENELEC Work Programme, accessible through the sectors and topics pages, gives an overview of the most significant European standardization activities that will be supported by CEN and CENELEC.
European Standards are distributed by the CEN and CENELEC national members under their applicable commercial terms. They can be purchased from:
The fees associated with European Standards support the expert-led, consensus-based process and the infrastructure required to develop, maintain, update and distribute high-quality standards. Standards are the result of substantial technical expertise, creative input, time and resources contributed by many stakeholders.
However, free access may be available for certain standards referenced in European legislation, upon request to the European Commission. This access allows users to consult the relevant standards free of charge,while protecting copyright, the integrity and traceability of the content, and the sustainable development of high quality standards. The applicable conditions might not peromit downloading, reproduction, redistribution or commercial reuse.
Link to to the European Commission website to request standards.
Certain CEN and/or CENELEC Workshop Agreements (CWAs) are available free of charge under special arrangements, for example, where industry has offset the loss of sales.
Visit the website to see which CWAs can be freely downloaded.
CEN and CENELEC publications remain protected by copyright and associated exploitation rights. Users should consult the relevant access platform or national member for the conditions applying to a particular publication.
CEN and CENELEC do not sell or distribute Standards or any other deliverables.
All European Standards (ENs) and drafts (prENs), as well as Harmonization Documents (HDs) or any other approved documents (Technical Specifications (TSs), Technical Reports (TRs) and CEN or CENELEC Workshop Agreements (CWAs), are directly available for purchase from:
Certain CEN and/or CENELEC Workshop Agreements (CWAs), mainly in the ICT field, are available free of charge under special arrangements, for example, where industry has offset the loss of sales. Visit the website to see which CWAs can be freely downloaded.
Note that all CEN and CENELEC publications are protected by copyright and associated exploitation rights.
Technical questions are the competence of CEN or CENELEC Technical Committees. However, please note that, as a rule, Technical Committees do not deal directly with questions from private experts.
To obtain support on technical questions, please contact your:
Do you need for help in your own language? Contact one of the 43 national helpdesks. The national SME Helpdesks are service centres established by CEN and CENELEC Members to provide direct support to SMEs. The national SME Helpdesks will help you understand the standardization system and identify the standards you need to become more competitive at national and/or European level.
An EU Directive is a legislative act of the European Union, which requires Member States to achieve a particular result without dictating the means of achieving that result. It can be distinguished from European Union Regulations which are self-executing and do not require any implementing measures. Directives normally leave Member States with a certain amount of leeway as to the exact rules to be adopted. Directives can be adopted by a variety of legislative procedures, depending on their subject matter.
All EC regulations and Directives are available from the EUR-LEX database.
The full text of European Directives, Regulations and other EU legislation can be obtained from EUR-LEX, where you can find a 'Directory of Community Legislation in Force' and other acts of the European Community institutions.
The 'CE marking' (sometimes improperly known as "CE Mark") indicates that the manufacturer declares that a product complies with all applicable requirements of the EU legislation providing for CE marking. It is required only for products covered by such legislation and must not be used for other products. CE marking is not an EU approval, certification or indication of a product’s origin.
The manufacturer is responsible for carrying out the applicable conformity-assessment procedure, preparing the required technical documentation and EU declaration of conformity, and affixing the CE marking. Depending on the applicable legislation, a notified body may need to be involved.
For further guidance, consult the European Commission’s CE Marking webpage and in particular the Blue Guide on the implementation of EU product rules, which can be downloaded here.
CE marking and certification are not CEN or CENELEC activities. European Standards may, however, help manufacturers demonstrate that their products meet relevant legal requirements.
For more information, contact:
A Notified Body is an independent conformity assessment body that is designated by the notifying authority of a Member State to carry out specific assessment tasks under applicable EU legislation where third-party involvement is required.
Member States notify these bodies to the European Commission and the other Member States. A Notified Body may perform only the activities and assess only the products covered by its notification.
The Nando (New Approach Notified and Designated Organisations) Information System allows users to search for Notified Bodies by legislation, country, product or procedure.
Notified Bodies are not part of CEN or CENELEC.
No. CEN and CENELEC develop European Standards but do not assess products, services or organizations and do not issue certificates or marks or conformity. Certification and other conformity-assessment activities are carried out independently by competent conformity-assessment bodies. .
To receive support in this domain, please contact your CEN National Standards Body or CENELEC National Committee. Where appropriate, they can provide information on the relevant standards and direct you to suitable national resources.