NEWS
On 31 July 2023, the European Commission adopted the Delegated Act on the first set of European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). CEN and CENELEC welcome its adoption and the recent changes made to include reference to standards developed by CEN, CENELEC, ISO and IEC.
CEN and CENELEC welcome the European Commission‘s proposal for the Critical Raw Materials Act, published 16 March 2023 and the aim to reinforce EU monitoring capacities and strengthen both the EU value chain (through the identification of mineral resources and raw materials projects in the EU's strategic interest, with strong environmental protection) and the EU external policies on CRMs. The CRMA has provided several references to the of use European Standards, how to make the relationship with international standards and what resources can be allocated to support these activities.
CEN and CENELEC have developed a position paper on the proposed Net-Zero Industry Act. This document has been written in response to the consultation launched by the European Commission on 20 March 2023. CEN and CENELEC believe that European standards will be a vital tool to meet the high ambitions of increasing strategic net-zero technology production in Europe set by the Net-Zero Industry Act.
On the 28th of March, the Internal Market and Consumer Protection committee of the European Parliament (IMCO) voted to approve the Own Initiative Report on a standardization strategy for the single market. CEN and CENELEC welcome the initiative as a clear sign of the Parliament’s understanding of the importance of European standardization to the functioning of the Single Market.
This Position Paper has been prepared by CEN and CENELEC in reply to the European Commission’s consultation on past, present and future European R&I programmes with the aim of providing input on pre-normative research needs which could contribute to shaping the strategic orientations for the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2025-2027.
Critical Raw Materials play an important role in today’s global economy. Minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and copper are essential components in a wide set of strategic sectors, including the net zero industry, the digital industry, aerospace, and defence sectors. For this reason, they are fundamental to ensure the long-term success of the European Union’s strategic priorities, such as the twin digital and green transitions and its strategic autonomy.
On the 16th of March, the European Commission released the proposal for the Net-Zero Industry Act. CEN and CENELEC welcome the Commission’s proposal to strengthen European Green Industry and are excited to see how standardization can continue to foster innovation in clean technologies.
On 23 January, Elena Santiago Cid, Director General of CEN and CENELEC, was invited to speak at the European Parliament during the hearing on Standardization in the Single Market held by the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO).
The new year is an opportunity to start things right. In this spirit, on 13 January, the directors of CEN and CENELEC met with the new Chief Standardization Officer of the European Commission, Maive Rute, for a strategic conversation on European Standardization. Mrs Rute was accompanied by Sophie Müller, Head of Unit, and Matthias Bergdahl, Deputy Head of Unit Standards Policy at the European Commission.
The preparations for the High-Level Forum on European Standardization officially began on 10 January 2023, with the first meeting of the Sherpa sub-group. CEN and CENELEC are proud to be sending three experts each to the Sherpa sub-group, to contribute to the coordination of the Green, Digital, and Resilient priorities which will steer the work of High-Level Forum.