Annexes to COM(2014)500 - Annual Union work programme for European standardisation for 2015

Please note

This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.

dossier COM(2014)500 - Annual Union work programme for European standardisation for 2015.
document COM(2014)500 EN
date July 30, 2014
agreements negotiations. The current priorities, in order of relevance, focus on the US (direct involvement on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations), China (EU-China 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation, regulatory and industrial policy dialogue, innovation cooperation dialogue), Russia – in close co-operation with the European External Action Service– supporting the modernisation partnership, India, and Japan. Dialogues with Latin America, especially Brazil, Korea, and ASEAN will also be monitored.

• Extending the single market in particular through the process of the enlargement of the European Union, the European Neighbourhood policy, and the negotiation of Agreements on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of industrial products with third countries adopting European product safety legislation supported by European standards.

• Strategic actions in priority countries consisting of:

• European standardisation experts seconded to India and China (renewal of project) ensuring a local presence of European standardisation and a flow of information on access to these key markets; Brazil has been identified as a new candidate, with possible extension to the Mercosur region;

• Web-based standardisation information platforms, with China 51 , where the emphasis is on maintaining the project and extending its coverage beyond the current sectors, and perhaps in the future with the US, mapping the respective standardisation landscapes including market access aspects directly related to standardisation;

• Supporting the strengthening of African capacities in the area of standards, in accordance with the Joint Africa-EU Strategy and its Roadmap 2014-17, notably through a technical and policy dialogue with relevant African standardisation and regional organisations (for example the recently established African Union PAQI, Pan-African Quality infrastructure).

5. Specific strategic actions

5.1.Financial support to European stakeholder organisations

The Commission will organise during the third trimester of 2014 calls for proposals in relation to European representation of SMEs, consumers and environmental and social stakeholder organisations in standardisation work. While this will facilitate SME participation by providing financing, the Commission will also continue to support specific projects facilitating SME access and participation in standardisation.

5.2.Intellectual property rights (IPR) in standards

The Commission will continue its actions towards the ESOs in order to clarify the rules on the use of intellectual property rights (IPR) in standards. It is expected that the ESOs will develop a platform allowing and facilitating the use of patents and new technologies in the development of standards.

5.3.Multi-stakeholder platform for ICT standardisation

The Commission will continue its work on ICT standardisation via the multi-stakeholder platform which is one of the innovations of the 2011 standardisation package. The permanent dialogue between public authorities, stakeholders and standards development organisations, including global fora and consortia, has proven, in the short time since it was set-up to be able to respond to the fast nature of developments in this field. A rolling plan for ICT standardisation has been developed in collaboration with the multi-stakeholder platform to set out in detail the regulatory context and the corresponding supporting standardisation activities.

5.4.Horizon 2020

The development and implementation of research and innovation agendas including through standardisation is essential in addressing competitiveness. Horizon 2020 will give strong support to the market uptake of innovation, in particular to supporting standardisation through research and putting science into standards. Standardisation activities are an essential channel for the market adoption of research results and for the diffusion of innovations.

5.5.Mandated work programmes under old mandates

Since the late 1980s the Commission has issued a number of standardisation requests asking the ESOs to develop European standards or to perform other standardisation related activities. Some of those mandates are for non-recurring actions (like studies) while some mandates relate to the development of European standards and also to maintain those standards by revising them regularly.

Considering that the legal format of a mandate has varied during the years and the fact that according to Article 10 of Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 mandates are now Implementing Acts, it is very important to have a common understanding on: (i) which old mandates are still valid to establish new European standards in support of Union legislation and policies, and (ii) which mandates should be regarded as completed or expired. The Commission will clarify the situation together with the ESOs in order to have a common basis for all mandated standardisation and, in particular, to ensure that principles on developing harmonised standards are equally implemented by the ESOs.


(1) COM(2010) 2020 final
(2) COM(2014) 14
(3) COM(2011) 311 final
(4) Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012
(5) EUCO 7/1/14 REV 1
(6) COM(2012) 433 final
(7) Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom
(8) COM(2011) 571
(9) COM(2013)886
(10) 2004/107/EC
(11) 2010/75/EU
(12) https://ec.europa.eu/eip/raw-materials/en/content/about-sip
(13) COM(2012) 082 final
(14) Directive 2014/40/EU
(15) Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011
(16) Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006
(17) Directive 2004/52/EC
(18) Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 and revised Directive 96/53/EC
(19) http://ec.europa.eu/smart-regulation/impact/planned_ia/docs/2013_move_001_e_freight.pdf  
(20) Directive 2010/65/EU
(21) Directive 2002/59/EC
(22) COM(2014)207 final of 8.4.2014
(23) COM(2013)18
(24) COM(2010)560
(25) Directive 2000/60/EC
(26) Directive 98/83/EC and Directive 2006/7/EC
(27) Directive 2011/24/EU, Council Recommendation 2009/C 151/01
(28) http://ec.europa.eu/health/medical-devices/documents/revision/index_en.htm
(29) Directive 2004/22/EC
(30) OJ L294 of 11.11.2009, p7
(31) Directive 2006/95/EC
(32) 2013/53/EU
(33) Directive 2003/44/EC
(34) 2013/35/EU
(35) COM (2013) 542
(36) COM/2009/0538 final and COM/2010/0584 final
(37) COM(2010) 245
(38) http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/ict/files/ict-policies/2010-2013_ict_standardisation_work_programme_2nd_update_en.pdf  
(39) OJ L 165, 18.6.2013, p. 1
(40) http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=CELEX:52012PC0238
(41) 1999/93/EC
(42) Directive 2010/40/EU, COM(2008) 886
(43) http://inspire.ec.europa.eu/documents/Data_Specifications/INSPIRE_DataSpecification_US_v3.0.pdf
(44) http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:331:0001:0267:EN:PDF
(45) COM(2013)453
(46) COM(2012)596 final
(47) COM(2011) 21
(48) COM(2013)249
(49) COM(2011) 571
(50) COM(2013) 517
(51) http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=6271&lang=en