On 12 February 2025, the Presidential Committee approved the new three-year mandate of the PC Advisory Body on Societal Stakeholders (SSG). This group has long served as a key platform for addressing the needs and concerns of Societal stakeholders within the CEN and CENELEC system. The SSG plays a vital role in fostering dialogue between CEN and CENELEC and the Societal Annex III Organizations ANEC, ECOS and ETUC.
During the previous mandate of the SSG, under the Chairpersonship of CEN and CENELEC Vice-President Policy Ewa Zielińska, the group successfully worked on key priorities, including:
- Supporting the effective implementation for the right of opinion via its digitalization.
- Advocating for the interest of the Societal Annex III Organizations within the CEN and CENELEC system.
- Supporting the High-Level Forum Workstream 5 on ‘Greater civil society and SME inclusion in international standardisation’ for the finalization of recommendations.
- Collaborating on awareness raising activities to ensure an inclusive standardization system.
The SSG launched its new mandate with a first meeting on 28 March 2025, where members discussed strategic goals and priorities for the coming years. The group reaffirmed its commitment to supporting societal stakeholders by holding annual meetings to align on key priorities and collaborating on national and European-level initiatives. The group agreed to develop an Action Plan for the new mandate that reflects recent developments, including recommendations from the High-Level Forum Workstream 5.
On 15 May 2025, Ewa Zielińska presented the newly developed Action Plan to the Presidential Committee, and it has now been formally approved. Preparations are underway to begin implementation, with the active involvement of SSG members.
CEN and CENELEC look forward to continuing the close collaboration with the SSG members to ensure a more inclusive European standardization system.
