Standards underpin global trading models, acting as a common language of communities of actors agreeing with one another through consensus on how to behave.

Standards create markets, support global competitiveness, overcome technical barriers to trade and foster market access. Standards can lift the research and innovation outcomes and take them right ahead of the curve into the work of making markets before they exist, ahead of their material existence in the world.

Priority Partners 

CEN and CENELEC have established strengthen partnerships with key regional and national standardization bodies outside Europe and are working closely with partners in:

• Africa (ARSO and AFSEC);
• the Gulf Region (GSO);
• China (SAC);
• India (BIS);
• Japan (JISC).

Other Partnerships Framework

CEN and CENELEC have established partnerships with many standardization bodies outside Europe. These partnerships vary according to the specific interests and cooperation needs of each partner and the engagement is through a defined cooperation framework:

• Companion Standardization Body(CSB) status for national standards bodies that want to have direct access to the European Standards catalogue and our network of standards developing bodies.
• Memoranda of Understanding with regional standardization organizations
• Cooperation Agreements with national standardization organization of a country that has a strategic importance for Europe.

CEN and CENELEC are also partners in two projects that maintain standardization experts in India and China.

The standards bodies of specific countries who are candidates for EU membership are eligible for Affiliate status in order to align with the European Standardization System.