The European Parliament adopted by 626 votes to 4, with 5 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 as regards the decisions of European standardisation organisations concerning European standards and European standardisation deliverables.

The proposed regulation aims at strengthening the role of national standardisation bodies in the decision-making bodies of the European Standards Organisations (ESOs) when those bodies take decisions on European standards and European standardisation deliverables requested by the Commission under Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012.

The European Parliament adopted its position at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure by amending the Commission proposal.

The amending proposal, as amended, provides that, without prejudice to other advisory opinions, each European standardisation organisation will ensure that the following decisions concerning European standards and European standardisation deliverables are taken exclusively by the representatives of the national standardisation bodies in the relevant decision-making body of that organisation:

- decisions on the acceptance and refusal of standardisation requests;

- decisions on the acceptance of new work items that are needed for the fulfilment of the standardisation request; and

- decisions on the adoption, revision and withdrawal of European standards or European standardisation deliverables.

The regulation will apply from six months after its entry into force.

The amended text stressed that European standards and European standardisation deliverables play an important role for workers, consumers and the environment. In this context, it is important to ensure sound procedures and a balanced representation of relevant stakeholders’ interests, including those stakeholders representing inter-alia SMEs and environmental, social and consumer interests. The views of, and the input from, all relevant stakeholders should be taken into account in European standardisation organisations.

Participation by the national standardisation organisations of third countries in the work of the European standardisation organisations should not prevent the adoption of any decision concerning European standards and European standardisation deliverables requested by the Commission where such decision has the support of the national standardisation bodies from Member States and EEA countries only.

The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection adopted the report by Svenja HAHN (Renew Europe, DE) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 as regards the decisions of European standardisation organisations concerning European standards and European standardisation deliverables .

The purpose of this initiative is to amend an EU Regulation governing the European standardisation system. The proposed amendment to Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 is limited and targeted to the work of the European standardisation organisations following a request from the Commission.

The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the proposal as follows:

The amending proposal, as amended, provides that, without prejudice to other advisory opinions, each European standardisation organisation will ensure that the following decisions concerning European standards and European standardisation deliverables are taken exclusively by national representatives , namely by representatives of the national standardisation bodies within the competent decision-making body of that organisation:

- decisions on the acceptance and refusal of standardisation requests;

- decisions on the acceptance of new work items that are needed for the fulfilment of the standardisation request .

The amendments emphasise that standards do not only regulate the technical aspect of a product or service but also play an important role for workers, citizens and the environment.

M embers believe that the role, participation and contribution of stakeholders , including those representing SMEs and environmental, social and consumer interests, should be strengthened , and made more inclusive through the establishment of a multistakeholder approach. The views of, and the input from, relevant stakeholders should be taken into account in European standardisation organisations. The decisions of national standardisation bodies should reflect the outcome of the consultation with relevant stakeholders /

Furthermore, the decision-making bodies of the European standards organisations should be open to the participation not only of the national standards bodies but also of the national standards organisations of the acceding countries, candidate countries, potential candidate countries and countries which have concluded an agreement with the Union aiming at ensuring regulatory convergence or compatibility with the legal acts of the Union in the areas of the internal market that are relevant to European standardisation organisation’s activities .

The participation of the national standard isation organisation of third countries should not prevent the adoption of a decision on European standards and European standardisation deliverables supported by the majority of national standardisation bodies from Member States of the Union and, where applicable, other members of EEA that have been notified as national standardisation bodies.

PURPOSE: to amend the EU Regulation as regards the decisions of European standardisation organisations concerning European standards and European standardisation deliverables.

PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.

BACKGROUND: Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishes rules with regard to the establishment of European standards and European standardisation deliverables for products and for services in support of Union legislation and policies. In accordance with Article 10 of the Regulation, the Commission may request one or several European standardisation organisations to draft a European standard or European standardisation deliverable.

The European standardisation organisations are defined in the Standardisation Regulation. There are three European standardisation organisations: the European Committee for standardisation (CEN); the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). They have an exclusive role to carry out standardisation work requested by the Commission in support of EU legislation and policies.

While the system was originally mainly focused on EU stakeholders, the practices of the ESOs with regard to their internal governance and decision-making procedures have changed in recent years. The ESOs now cooperate with a wide range of stakeholders, including from third countries, and allow them to participate not only in the technical work, but also in their internal policy and decision-making processes.

When European standardisation organisations execute standardisation requests to support Union legislation and policies, unrestricted participation of any stakeholder in their internal decision-making may lead to decisions that do not entirely take account of the Union’s interests, policy objectives and values or the public interests in general.

National standardisation bodies play an essential role in the standardisation system, both, at the Union level and at the level of Member States. They are therefore best placed to make sure that the interests, policy objectives and values of the Union as well as public interests in general are duly taken into account in European standardisation organisations. The Commission considers it necessary to strengthen their role in decision-making bodies of the European standardisation organisations when those bodies take decisions concerning European standards and European standardisation deliverables requested by the Commission under Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012.

CONTENT: the proposed amendment to Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 aims to ensure that the whole internal decision-making process in issuing standards and standardisation deliverables, requested by the Commission on the basis of Article 10(1) of the Standardisation Regulation, is in line with what the EU institutions expect from a standards-developing body officially recognised as a European standards organisation.

The proposal thus provides that decisions in the decision-making bodies of the European standardisation organisations concerning European standards and European standardisation publications requested by the Commission will be taken exclusively by the representatives of the national standardisation organisations . The Commission may only make such requests to a European standardisation organisation that complies with that requirement.

In order to allow the European standardisation organisations to adapt, where necessary, their internal rules of procedure, the amendment provides for a transitional period of six months before entering into force.

The Commission will assist the European standardisation organisations to help them amend their internal rules for decision making regarding standards and standardisation deliverables requested by the Commission under Article 10(1) of the Standardisation Regulation.