The European Commission is expected to publish its proposal to revise the EU regulatory framework on standardization in the second half of this year. In December, the ETUC contributed to this process by submitting its response to the Commission’s public consultation, which sought stakeholders’ views on the key priorities for updating the current regulation.
Standards define how products are made, and how technologies and work processes are designed. In many cases, EU legislation relies on harmonized standards as a means for market actors to demonstrate compliance with related legal requirements. As a result, standards underpinning EU law can effectively become a “rulebook”, shaping everything from protective equipment and ergonomics to digital tools and emerging technologies — with direct implications for workers, their health and safety, and broader working conditions. This is why trade unions have a strong interest in how the regulation is revised.
The ETUC’s key demands for the revision focus on ensuring that, alongside competitiveness, standardization genuinely serves workers and the public interest. This requires stronger trade union participation in standardization processes, backed by stable funding and resources to support the meaningful involvement of workers. The ETUC also stresses the need for strong Commission oversight to ensure standards remain fully aligned with EU law and essential requirements. Moreover, while recognizing that the efficiency of standardization processes can be improved, the ETUC underlines that this must not come at the cost of worker protection, inclusiveness, and balanced participation.
