Digital standards increasingly shape how digital markets function, how public services are delivered, and how innovation scales across borders. From digital identification and payment systems to Digital Product Passports (DPP), data exchange, and cybersecurity, standards form the technical foundation of the digital economy. The World Development Report 2025 (WDR) highlights that these standards are not neutral: they embed choices about interoperability, competition, and governance. This perspective is also reflected in the European Framework for Science Diplomacy, which recognizes standards as practical instruments for international cooperation, trust-building, and market shaping.
As a partner of the Horizon Europe funded project Edu4Standards.eu, CEN and CENELEC are establishing the first ever student association dedicated to standardization.
The Croatian Standards Institute (HZN) is pleased to inform you that Ms Ana Marija Boljanović has been appointed as the new Director General of HZN, starting from January 9th, 2026.
We are pleased to inform you about the upcoming CEN and CENELEC activities in 2026.
On 15 January 2026, the third Steering Committee meeting of the SESEI 6 project (Seconded European Standardization Expert in India) was held in ETSI’s Brussels office, gathering all project partners: CEN, CENELEC, ETSI, several Directorates from the European Commission, and EFTA.
On 15 January 2026, Mr Dinesh Chand Sharma, representing the European Standardization Organizations (CEN, CENELEC, ETSI), the European Commission and EFTA in India through the SESEI 6 project (Seconded European Standardization Expert in India), delivered an offline presentation about the Indian standardization landscape.
On 14 January 2026, CEN and CENELEC participated in the 2026 first quarter meeting of the RNF (Réseau Normalisation et Francophonie) and presented the latest developments in CEN and CENELEC activities, including the long-standing cooperation with SCC (Standards Council of Canada) and projects on the African continent.
A new CEN Workshop is being established to build upon the innovative outcomes of the R&I project Horizon Europe programme 'MOZART' (Morphing Computerized Mats with Embodied Sensing and Artificial Intelligence). Its goal is to develop a new generation of soft robotics to complement the handling of food products during processing.
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on European standardization related to Artificial Intelligence (AI).