NEWS
The three European Standardization Organizations – CEN, CENELEC and ETSI – have created a consortium to respond to a call under the Single Market Programme aimed at Reinforcing the European Standardization System through Education (RESSE) and addressing the need for skilled experts in standardization.
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.
We are pleased to inform you about the upcoming CEN and CENELEC activities in 2026.
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) and the Web Accessibility Directive (WAD) are game changers. However, they also pose challenges for public entities procuring ICT products and services, as well as for bidders. In this context, the European Commission and EFTA funded the revision of two existing documents: CEN-CLC-ETSI TR 101551:2014 ‘Guidelines on the use of accessibility award criteria suitable for public procurement of ICT products and services in Europe’ and CEN-CLC-ETSI/TR 101 552:2014 ‘Guidance for the application of conformity assessment to accessibility requirements for public procurement of ICT products and services in Europe’.
The CENELEC Workshop was kicked off on 21st October 2025. The Workshop’s registered participants have agreed on the first draft of the CWA.
The ETUC has been actively contributing to the development of the standard on AI Risk Management (prEN 18228), which is now under Public Enquiry until the end of July. This standard is intended to support Article 9 of the AI Act. Its adoption will therefore be particularly important, as all high-risk AI systems placed on the market or put into service in the EU—including the ones to be deployed at the workplace—will need to demonstrate conformity with its requirements.
CEN and CENELEC recently hosted a delegation from the CARICOM Regional Organization for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) at our offices in Brussels.
A working meeting of regional National Standardization Bodies (NSBs) was held in Sarajevo from 11 to 12 May 2026, bringing together representatives from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Montenegro. The meeting was hosted by the Institute for Standardization of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ISBIH).
Standards Norway is strengthening its membership programme to build a broader and more engaged community around standardization. The initiative is based on a clear value proposition: members gain access to relevant insights and networks, practical benefits and training opportunities, and the possibility to influence framework conditions for their sector both nationally and internationally.
Reliable global hydrogen supply chains are essential for Europe’s future energy system. To support their development, German standardization organizations have launched the project “Standardization Roadmap for Hydrogen Derivatives and Technologies” (NRM H2Plus).