NEWS
On Thursday, February 5, the Seconded European Standardization Expert for China (SESEC) organized the 2026 EU–China Standardization Roundtable and New Year Reception in Beijing. Benjamin de Ville, representing CEN and CENELEC and the Joint Technical Committee 24 ‘Digital Product Passport’, presented the EU Digital Product Passport Standardization Developments to the audience.
On 4 February 2026, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) and the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC ) signed an agreement to increase their alignment on key standardization topics. JISC will now become a CENELEC Companion Standardization Body (CSB).
Digital standards increasingly shape how digital markets function, how public services are delivered, and how innovation scales across borders. From digital identification and payment systems to Digital Product Passports (DPP), data exchange, and cybersecurity, standards form the technical foundation of the digital economy. The World Development Report 2025 (WDR) highlights that these standards are not neutral: they embed choices about interoperability, competition, and governance. This perspective is also reflected in the European Framework for Science Diplomacy, which recognizes standards as practical instruments for international cooperation, trust-building, and market shaping.
On 15 January 2026, the third Steering Committee meeting of the SESEI 6 project (Seconded European Standardization Expert in India) was held in ETSI’s Brussels office, gathering all project partners: CEN, CENELEC, ETSI, several Directorates from the European Commission, and EFTA.
On 15 January 2026, Mr Dinesh Chand Sharma, representing the European Standardization Organizations (CEN, CENELEC, ETSI), the European Commission and EFTA in India through the SESEI 6 project (Seconded European Standardization Expert in India), delivered an offline presentation about the Indian standardization landscape.
On 14 January 2026, CEN and CENELEC participated in the 2026 first quarter meeting of the RNF (Réseau Normalisation et Francophonie) and presented the latest developments in CEN and CENELEC activities, including the long-standing cooperation with SCC (Standards Council of Canada) and projects on the African continent.
A high-level Vietnamese delegation carried out a week-long study visit to Brussels and Luxembourg from 8 to 12 December. The mission, joined by representatives of the EU Delegation to Vietnam, aimed to deepen their understanding on the legal framework for the railway sector in Europe and the role of CEN and CENELEC standards in particular, in view of the modernization of the Vietnamese railways.
Three selected Experts – Ms. Adaora Ikenze (Nigeria), Mr. Matano Ndaro (Kenya), and Mr. Cristhian Lizcano (Colombia) – have been in Europe for two weeks of training and high-level engagements under the Global Partnership for Human-Centric ICT Standardization (GIST) project.
As part of a longstanding dialogue on transatlantic cooperation in standardization, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the European Standards Organizations (ESOs) – CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI – met on 10 and 11 November 2025 at ANSI’s headquarters in Washington, DC to exchange on the latest standardization developments in Europe and in the United States. Representatives from the US government and their European counterparts joined the discussions between standardizers.
Building on the proven success of the previous SESEC phases, the European Commission together with EFTA, CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI are launching a new phase of SESEC, SESEC VI.