On this World Health Day, CEN and CENELEC examine how standards help strengthen healthcare in all parts of Europe.
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.
The European Commission has published a new Code of Practice on standardization for researchers. The Code provides a set of recommendations to beneficiaries of public-funded research and innovation programmes on how to valorise project results through standardization. The recommendations also target universities and public research organizations, policymakers, and standard development organizations (SDOs).
In 2023, the European Single Market celebrates its 30th anniversary. Since its creation in 1993, the Single Market has established itself as one of the EU’s greatest and most brilliant achievements: by facilitating trade across borders, reducing red tape, and ensuring the same levels of safety and quality, it has helped make everyday life easier for people and businesses, fuelling jobs and growth across the EU.
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.
The European standardisation system is a global success story. After the release of the European Standardisation Strategy in 2022, it became clear that the work of standardisation was growing in its role as an integral tool of the European Single Market.
Elena Santiago Cid, CEN and CENELEC’s Director General, spoke at the “Cooperating on Digital Policy and Tech Standards” panel during the dedicated hybrid stakeholder roundtable at the occasion of the third Ministerial Meeting of the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) between the EU and the US. The TTC is a key forum to deepen transatlantic cooperation to facilitate trade and develop global standards on technology and security.