NEWS
EU Ministers gathered in Brussels yesterday for the Competitiveness Council. Across discussions on industry, research, and space, the meetings reflect a strong political commitment to strengthening Europe’s competitiveness, resilience, and innovation capacity.
On 21 January 2026, the European Commission adopted its proposal for a Cybersecurity Act 2, aiming to revise the existing Cybersecurity Act of 2019. This revision responds to the significantly evolving cybersecurity threat landscape, shaped by increasing digitalization and a more complex geopolitical environment.
Every year on 9 May, the European Union celebrates Europe Day. It is a day commemorating the Schuman Declaration of 1950, which laid the foundations for peace, cooperation, and integration in Europe.
CEN and CENELEC warmly welcome the European Commission’s Gender Equality Strategy 2026–2030, published in March 2026. The Strategy reaffirms gender equality as a core value of the European Union and sets out a comprehensive framework of actions to advance equality between women and men in all their diversity.
CEN and CENELEC, together with their members in 34 European countries, welcome the 21 April judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union in Case C 155/24 (Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit and Others v. Stichting Rookpreventie Jeugd).
CEN and CENELEC warmly welcome the European Commission’s publication of the Annual Union Work Programme 2026 for European Standardization (AUWP 2026), which sets out five key priorities and 43 actions in support of EU policies for competitiveness. This document identifies the strategic direction for European standardization and aligns with the objectives of the Competitiveness Compass.
Over the last few months, CEN and CENELEC have been reaching out to the European Parliament regarding the drafting of the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) and the 10th EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10, 2028-2034), the successor to Horizon Europe. Together with national Members, CEN and CENELEC will continue to reach out to the Members of Parliament in the ITRE committee to convince them to build on the European Standardization Strategy and the Guiding Principles of Knowledge Valorisation and Code of Practice on Standardization in the European Research Area (full article here).
On 24 March, the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO) held a Structured Dialogue with EVP Commissioner Séjourné to discuss the barriers preventing full harmonization of the Single Market. During the exchange, standardization was highlighted as one of the “Terrible 10” obstacles, with concerns raised that developing a standard takes, on average, eight years.
The European Commission has confirmed that the revision of the Standardization Regulation (EU Regulation no. 1025/2012) will be carried out in parallel with the revision of the New Legislative Framework Regulation and the Market Surveillance Regulation, resulting in a package of the European Product Act (EPA). CEN and CENELEC support this approach to ensure alignment with the three Regulations to strengthen European quality infrastructure.
CEN and CENELEC welcome the European Commission’s initiative to revise Directive 2014/24/EU on public procurement with the aim of increasing simplicity, flexibility, and transparency.