Activities of Adam BIELAN related to 2022/2058(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Standardisation strategy for the single market (A9-0136/2023 - Adam Bielan) (vote)
Reports (1)
REPORT on a standardisation strategy for the single market
Amendments (23)
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the European standardisation system is based on an inclusive, consensus-based, market-driven approach, ensuring that the standards that are developed not only to respond to industry needs but also to support the interests of wider society; whereas the European Commission has already proposed a partial revision of the existing standardisation framework to improve the decision-making processes of European Standardisation Organisations (ESOs) in order to maintain these twin focuses;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas beyond formal cooperation with international bodies, the European Commission and Member States are continuing to develop shared approaches with like-minded third countries or trade agreement partners in the area of standardisation;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the adoption of the standardisation strategy, which sets out five main areas for action for the Commission; considers that the classification of priority areas for action closely aligns with the weaknesses and strengths of the current system identified during the stakeholder consultation; notes also the adoption of, and progress on, the 2022 annual work programme on standardisation;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Considers that the fundamental qualities of the standardisation system remain relevant and effective for the proper functioning of the internal market; recalls that standards are a voluntary, market- driven tool providing technical requirements and guidance, the use of which facilitates the compliance of goods and services with European legislation and supports the development of European policiestandards in an accountable, transparent and inclusive way, ensuring that the needs and specificities of all relevant stakeholders, including SMEs and societal actors, are taken into account; stresses, however, that standards cannot be seen as EU law, since legislation and policies regarding the level of consumer, health, safety, environmental and data protection, and the level of social inclusion, are determined by the legislator;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Supports the creation of an annual standardisation dashboard; emphasises that the dashboard should make it easy for all stakeholders to discover, follow and contribute, where relevant, to the activities pertinent to their areas of interest;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Supports the launch of the High- Level Forum for Standardisation and the desire to broaden the range of voices heard when identifying standardisation needs, planning future activities and coordinating approaches in standardisation bodies; underlines that this expert group should include a diverse range of stakeholders, without losing sight of the bottom-up, market-driven nature of standardisation activities; considers that the High-Level Forum may offer input on both strategic and operational levels, in particular in conjunction with the EU excellence hub on standards on technical matters;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes the intention to involve the European Parliament and the Council in an annual event to prepare priorities for standardisation activities; considers that the importance of standardisation as a strategic initiative and an operational element of the internal market necessitates deeper and more regular scrutiny by the co-legislators than is possible at an annual event;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the creation of an EU excellence hub on standards and the appointment of a chief standardisation officer (CSO) in the Commission; believes that this position and the hub, as a resource, should lead to greater consistency across the Commission in terms of standardisation requests and the preparation and adoption of standards and legislative provisions with relevance to standardisation; considers that the person holding this oversight function should be an important interlocutor for Parliament, enabling the technical scrutiny of the Commission’s standardisation activities; on a technical level;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Believes that the Commission should establish a clear set of key performance indicators on the aspects of standardisation within its remit; considers that these KPIs should be managed via the CSO and hub and may contribute to more effective management and scrutiny of standardisation activities undertaken by the Commission;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Notes that the Commission wishes to accelerate the steps involved in developing standards; considers that the timely preparation of standards is necessary for the proper functioning of the internal market, in particular in the case of harmonised standards; stresses that delays in a variety of sectors have occurred, leading to difficulties for operators, national authorities and civil society where standards are not available or to fragmentation where only national standards can be used;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Considers that the Commission, with recourse to the High-Level Forum and hub, may better elaborate methods for the technical evaluation of standards, in order that there is alignment between all parties on what is required and there are processes for remedial works as a standard is developed rather than encountering delays once the experts complete their work;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses that there may be inherent limits to speeding up the standardisation process, as the preparation of standards, citation of harmonised standards and industry implementation of those standards all add time before market adoption; recognises that it may be easier to accelerate administrative tasks, such as citation in the Official Journal, but that the unduly rushed preparation or deployment of standards creates challenges for all stakeholders, including national authorities as each enforced reduction in time risks the chance to achieve the broad consensus of all interested parties; encourages the Commission, in conjunction with improvements to its own internal processes, to continue working with the ESOs on ways of achieving timely delivery, including consideration of the most suitable standardisation deliverable depending on the need; calls therefore for stable, clear criteria for the assessment of harmonised standards, commonly understood by all stakeholders, as well as for the provision of the necessary resources to ensure the timely assessment and citation;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Stresses the importance of avoiding an excessive proliferation of standards; when setting priorities for standardisation and the issuing of new Standardisation requests, the starting point should be an overview of existing relevant standards and only develop new ones where clear gaps are identified; underlines the importance of providing support for the uptake and use of standards specially among SMEs;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Expects the swift implementation of the amending Regulation concerning the decisions of European standardisation organisations concerning European standards and European standardisation deliverables; considers that amending Regulation can help to reinforce decision- making and guard against undue influence, without affecting the important role played by the broader stakeholder- base in preparing effective standards that respond to public-interest and market needs;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Welcomes the focus on national- level involvement of wider stakeholders in standardisation activities; considers that exchange of best practices may aid Member States and national standardisation bodies to improve participation of SMEs and civil society organisations, but cautions this should complement and not duplicate work already foreseen in ESOs or in networks already established by Annex III organisations; notes that not all organisations listed in Annex III have national counterparts in the Member States; considers that the Commission may direct funding or technical support to those organisations to ensure participation in national standardisation activities, including not only technical work on standards, but also the preparation of positions vis-à-vis standardisation requests at the European and international levels, thereby reinforcing the inclusivity of the process as a whole;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Recognises the need for a consistent approach towards technical or common specifications, in particular as different legislative processes may give rise to divergent provisions; underlines though the risk that the development of common specifications hampers the development of standards, including due to duplication of work streams; considers, therefore, that this mechanism should only be used in exceptional circumstances and only while relevant standards do not exist; expresses concern about technical specifications concerning, among other things, respect for fundamental rights, where recourse to implementing acts affects the co-legislators’ powers of scrutiny;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Believes that it is essential to improve European coordination and engagement at international level in relation to standardisation, while respecting the right of national delegations to reach their own decisions in international forums; considers, nevertheless, that where similar viewpoints exist, and are also shared with like-minded third-country partners, European policy leadership on standards development can act as a multiplier for European industrial leadership;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Welcomes the valuable role foreseen for international standardisation activities in the Strategy; considers that adoption of international standards by ESOs can aid European companies when they seek to trade outside of the Union; recalls that not all countries automatically adopt international standards as replacements domestically and encourages the Commission and Member States to encourage third countries to adopt this approach;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Notes that international consortia have specific relevance in certain sectors, including with respect to the twin transition; underlines the positive role that incorporating standards developed in consortia into the European standardisation scheme can have in achieving policy objectives, for example the adoption of USB-C as a common charging platform; urges the Commission and ESOs to build on this and other examples of best practice and consider how best to facilitate the adoption of consortia-led standards where they contribute to achieving Union goals;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17 b. Highlights that the effective participation of European SMEs and societal stakeholders in international standardisation continues to be a major challenge; calls for the European Commission and the ESOs to engage with international counterparts and like- minded trade partners to ensure greater inclusiveness of the international standardisation system and stronger representation of all stakeholders;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Stresses the value of commercialisation for research activities, including early consideration of the suitability for standardisation of projects launched under the Union’s research funding programmes; welcomes the creation of the ‘standardisation booster’, as a test bed for standards’ suitability; recalls that the collaborative nature, including with third-country researchers, of Union funded research may be beneficial to standards development and support not only the creation of standards but also the next-generation of experts involved in standardisation activities;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Supports the emphasis placed on standards activities in deployment programmes such as the Connecting Europe Facility and Digital Europe Programme, as key means to facilitate uptake of new and innovative technologies and approaches;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Reiterates its call for greater collaboration among EU institutions, national governments and ESOs in order to develop training guidelines for policymakers and to create a standardisation culture; including an understanding of how standards processes work and when they can be used; considers this as necessary as other internal reforms in order to provide a solid platform for future standardisation activities, scrutiny and development of standardisation priorities;