Following the publication of their Position Paper on the 10th EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10) in January 2025 (here)
CEN and CENELEC have now submitted their feedback to the European Commission’s legislative package for FP10 and the new European Competitiveness Fund (ECF).
- Amendments to FP10 (European Commission consultation link)
- Amendments to the European Competitiveness Fund (European Commission consultation link)
Together, these proposals form a blueprint for embedding standardization as a structural enabler of Europe’s future research, innovation and competitiveness framework (2028–2034). They build on the EU Standardisation Strategy, the Guiding Principles for Knowledge Valorisation, and the Code of Practice on Standardisation in the European Research Area.
The amendments to the FP10 Regulation and Specific Programme (COM(2025) 543–544) seek to:
- explicitly recognise European Standardization Organisations as actors in innovation ecosystems;
- integrate contributions to standards in valorisation, dissemination, and evaluation processes; and
- ensure that Horizon Europe’s successor systematically promotes standardization as a pathway to impact.
The amendments to the European Competitiveness Fund Regulation (COM(2025) 555) propose:
- defining standardization as a horizontal enabler across all four policy windows;
- including standardization support in SME, advisory, and sectoral measures; and
- promoting standards for trusted, interoperable and sustainable European technologies.
By embedding standardization throughout these instruments, CEN and CENELEC aim to ensure that EU investments deliver interoperable, market-relevant and globally competitive solutions.
