The ETUC has been actively contributing to the work of CEN and CENELEC Joint Technical Committee 21 (JTC 21) in the development of two European standards mandated by the European Commission to support the implementation of the AI Act.
The first standard on AI Risk Management is intended to facilitate the application of Article 9 of the AI Act, which sets out the requirements for establishing a Risk Management System for high-risk AI systems. The second standard addresses AI Quality Management Systems (QMS) for regulatory purposes. This is particularly significant in light of Article 17 of the AI Act, which mandates that all high-risk AI systems placed on the market or put into service in the EU – including those intended for deployment in the workplace – must be assessed in accordance with a compliant QMS.
In June, both draft standards were submitted for Committee Internal Ballots. In response, the ETUC AI Standardization Task Force convened on 13 June to review the documents and prepare a consolidated set of comments. These were subsequently submitted to JTC21 WG2 ’Operational aspects’. Both draft standards have received a substantial number of comments, which are now being addressed through comment resolution meetings. The ETUC remains committed to actively contributing to this process, ensuring that the final standards reflect workers’ needs and uphold strong safeguards. Final adoption of the standards is anticipated in 2026.
