NEWS
The three European Standardization Organizations – CEN, CENELEC and ETSI – have created a consortium to respond to a call under the Single Market Programme Standardization aimed at Reinforcing the European Standardization System through Education and addressing the need for skilled experts in standardization.
As a partner of the Horizon Europe funded project Edu4Standards.eu, CEN and CENELEC are establishing the first ever student association dedicated to standardization.
A new CEN Workshop is being planned which will complement the activities of the EU project 'Edu4Standards'. This project brings together a consortium of higher education institutions, standardization bodies and SMEs with the goal of innovating how standardization is taught in Europe.
Standards are a proven instrument to operationalize EU legislation while reducing regulatory burdens and supporting SMEs. By building on the New Legislative Framework (NLF), the CEA can rely on harmonized standards to provide presumption of conformity with legal requirements, while leaving room for innovation. The consultation has identified barriers to a more integrated circular economy, including divergent classifications of waste and secondary raw materials, weak competitiveness of recyclates, insufficient transparency on recyclability and material composition, and resource loss due to inefficient collection, sorting and data gaps. Today, divergent national practices undermine the single market. Standards can directly address these challenges by establishing common definitions, quality criteria and testing methods across Europe.
CEN and CENELEC responded to the Call for Evidence on the Revision of Regulation 1025/2012, outlining a clear vision to strengthen the European Standardization System (ESS) and ensure its continued relevance and resilience.
On 7 July, CEN and CENELEC officially accepted the European Commission’s Standardization Request on European Trusted Data Framework, under Mandate M/614. This milestone supports the implementation of the EU Data Act which will become applicable on 12 September 2025.
The High-Level Forum on European Standardization (HLF) pledged to enhance education and skills in standardization at its second meeting in November 2023. As part of this pledge, HLF participants agreed on a joint initiative to highlight national standardization representatives who are active at the international level.
This year’s annual Standardization Conference took place at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid from June 18-20. It was supported by the Spanish Association for Standardization (UNE), StandICT.eu, and Edu4Standards. About 50 experts from academia and standardization gathered to discuss the state of research on standardization.
On 14 May, the Horizon Europe project Edu4Standards.eu will host a webinar to introduce the Academic Standards Days and the process to apply for funding. The Academic Standards Days are key events designed to deepen the understanding of standardization and further the engagement with the topic at universities across Europe.
CEN and CENELEC have entered into a significant agreement with the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR) to advance the standardization of inland navigation. This collaboration aims to improve standardization processes and safety measures in inland waterway transport. It has been formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the three organizations on 9 April.