Description
This workshop took place in the framework of the SME Assembly that will be organised in Bilbao from 13 to 15 November and hosted in conjunction with the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
30 years after the creation of the Single Market, it is clear that European Standards have been a major contributor to its success. The importance of standards has also been highlighted in the European Standardisation Strategy published in 2022. The strategy has also recognised the imperative to improve access to standards development, prompting the launch of a peer-review initiative between EU Member States and National Standards Bodies. As a result, the High-Level Forum on European Standardisation was created in 2022. One of the workstreams of this body focuses on the peer review and is looking at obstacles for SMEs and other stakeholders in connection to access to standards and standardisation. Furthermore, the Forum investigates and identifies best practices in the field and is set to come up with recommendations to National Standards Bodies and Member States. The European Commission has also recently launched the review of Regulation 1025/2012 on European Standardisation and a consultation is foreseen to be launched before the end of the year.
In light of all mentioned above, this workshop raised awareness of SMEs in relation to the importance of European standards for the single market, of getting involved in the process of standard formation, and also in understanding possible obstacles to effective participation in standardisation and the use of standards.
Watch the recording of the workshop here.