2022/2058(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas the participation of civil society in the standardisation process is guaranteed by Regulation 1025/2012, but it is limited by high costs, which create entry barriers to the stakeholders with less financial resources;

Amendment 100 #

Motion for a resolution
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 101 #

Lara COMI, Andreas SCHWAB, Pablo ARIAS ECHEVERRÍA, Marion WALSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

Amendment 102 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Welcomes the focus on national- level involvement of wider stakeholders, including SMEs and consumer organization, in standardisation activities; notes that not all organisations listed in Annex III have national counterparts in ~~the~~all 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 103 #

Lara COMI, Marion WALSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

Amendment 104 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13 a. Believes that the participation of SME’s at national level should be promoted, as it is on this level that they can be most effective by virtue of lower costs and the absence of language barriers. The standardization framework should encourage SMEs to actively participate and provide innovative technological solutions in standardization activities. National standardization bodies encourage and facilitate SMEs' access to standards by identifying, in the annual work programs, standardization projects of particular interest to SMEs, promoting the granting of access to standardization activities without the obligation of membership of a national standardization body, the granting of facilities for standardization activity and free access to draft standards and extracts of standards, applying special rates for the supply of standards or offering packages of standards at a reduced price.

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13 a. Points out that the financial support of the Commission could not be sufficient for the European organisations listed in Annex III to ensure the effective participation of their national organisations in national standardisation activities on an equal footing with industry representatives; stresses that in some Member States national standardisation bodies have already established solidarity mechanisms in which industrial stakeholders contribute to the participation fee of societal stakeholders according to certain elements, such as the size and the turnover of the company; calls on the Commission and on the European standardisation organizations to encourage the harmonisation of such a mechanisms, in order to decrease the fragmentation of the single market;

Amendment 106 #

Lara COMI, Andreas SCHWAB, Pablo ARIAS ECHEVERRÍA, Marion WALSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)

13 b. Notes that the inclusiveness of the European and international standardisation systems also depends on the ability of stakeholders to identify and staff the standardization areas and committees that are relevant to them; considers that the national authorities should support national standardisation bodies initiatives for stakeholder inclusiveness, including providing these stakeholders with assistance in identifying standardization areas and committees that are relevant to them;

Amendment 107 #

Svenja HAHN, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Andrus ANSIP, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Jordi CAÑAS, Ivars IJABS, Catharina RINZEMA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Recognises the need for a consistent approach towards ~~technical or~~ common specifications, in particular as different legislative processes mare currently giveing rise to divergent provisions; ~~considers, therefore, that this mechanism should only be used in exceptional circumstances and only while relevant standards do not exist~~highlights the importance of linkage between common specifications and existing European and international standards in order to ease compliance, especially for small and medium sized companies; considers, therefore, that this mechanism should only be used in exceptional cases where the Commission has requested one or more European standardization organisations (ESOs) to draft a harmonised standard and there are undue delays in the standardisation procedure or the request hast, without reason, not been accepted, only after consultation with the ESOs and only when relevant standards do not exist and are not expected to be published within a reasonable period; expresses concern about ~~technical~~common specifications concerning, among other things, respect for fundamental rights, where recourse to implementing acts affects the co- legislators’ powers of scrutiny; stresses the need for a harmonized approach towards common specifications throughout different Union legislative acts;

Amendment 108 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Recognises the need for a consistent approach towards technical or common specifications, i~~n particular as different legislative processes may give rise to divergent provisions; considers, therefore, that this mechanism~~s concerned about a disconnect or contradiction of common or technical specifications from existing European or international standards which leads to increased productions costs and administrative burdens for companies operating in the Single Market, in particular for SMEs; considers, that common specifications should only be used in exceptional circumstances, clearly defined in legislation 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~~ and the Commission has already issued a standardization request which has been unduly delayed or not been accepted by the responsible ESO;

Amendment 109 #

Motion for a resolution
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 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas standards, both at international and European level, can be important drivers for market development and technological change towards a climate-neutral, resource-efficient and circular economy, as well as for fair competition, innovation and greater protection of consumers and the environment; whereas the Member States, European institutions and the European standardisation organisations (ESOs) cooperate with international standardisation bodies and have agreements in place to facilitate the use of international standards in the Union; whereas although European industry is an active participant in international standardisation work streams, the effective representation of smaller companies and ~~other~~societal stakeholders in international forums is ~~more challenging~~not adequate;

Amendment 110 #

Motion for a resolution
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; 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; stresses that common specifications and European standards as technical documents shall not address fundamental rights;

Amendment 111 #

Motion for a resolution
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; considers, therefore, that this mechanism should only be used in exceptional circumstances and only while relevant standards do not exist and by ensuring the involvement of all relevant stakeholders; expresses concern about technical specifications concerning, among other things, respect for fundamental rights of consumers, where recourse to implementing acts affects the co-legislators’ powers of scrutiny;

Amendment 112 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Recognises the need for a consistent and harmonised approach towards technical or common specifications, in particular as different legislative processes may give rise to divergent provisions; 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 scrutinyensure the involvement of all relevant stakeholders and that it should generally be used in the absence of harmonised standards and when standards developed by European Standardisation Organisations are not deemed adequate by the Commission to support EU law;

Amendment 113 #

14 a. Believes that the standardisation system should support the European social model and the fulfilment of fundamental rights, as set out in the European Social Charter and including the fundamental rights of workers and the right to health and social care and to essential services; recalls that it is the responsibility of Member States to define the fundamental principles of their social security, vocational training and health systems and to shape the framework conditions for the management, financing, organisation and delivery of the services supplied within those systems.

Amendment 114 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Stresses that the role of standards is not to define fundamental rights, but to provide technical solutions for their respect; calls on the Commission and on the co-legislators to further detail in legislation key aspects for the respect of fundamental rights, including safeguards and definitions; points out that when standards are not adopted timely or are not fit for purpose, common specifications should be introduced in order to ensure the full respect of fundamental rights;

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Regrets the procedure for adoption of common specifications has not been agreed on a horizontal instruments; acknowledges the agreed procedure in sectorial legislation and considers it should be the standard text and urges the Commission to adhere to such text in upcoming proposals;

Amendment 116 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Believes that an evaluation of Regulation (EU) 1025/2012 should assess the possibility of incorporating provision for standard text on common or technical specifications such that upcoming proposals could coherently make reference to it;

Amendment 117 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Considers that divergent regulatory outcomes may also affect the standardisation process more generally, owing to differing terminology, the lack of standard clauses for standardisation requests and difficulties in ex ante oversight; underlines that this problem is even more significant where standards are relevant for more than one regulatory act; believes that a common approach or formalised agreement between the Commission and the co-legislators could be explored in order to streamline the preparation of standards and detailed conditions for technical specifications;

Amendment 118 #

Svenja HAHN, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Andrus ANSIP, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Jordi CAÑAS, Ivars IJABS, Catharina RINZEMA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

Amendment 119 #

Christian DOLESCHAL, Andreas SCHWAB

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Considers that divergent regulatory outcomes may also affect the standardisation process more generally, owing to differing terminology, the lack of standard clauses for standardisation requests and difficulties in ex ante oversight; underlines that this problem is even more significant where standards are relevant for more than one regulatory act; believes that a common approach ~~or formalised agreement~~ between the Commission and the co-legislators could be explored in order to streamline the preparation of standards and detailed conditions for technical specifications;

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas standards, both at international and European level, ~~can b~~are important drivers for market development, innovation, competitiveness and technological change; whereas the Member States, European institutions and the European standardisation organisations (ESOs) cooperate with international standardisation bodies and have agreements in place to facilitate the use of international standards in the Union; whereas although European industry is an active participant in international standardisation work streams, the effective representation of smaller companies and other stakeholders in international forums is more challenging;

Amendment 120 #

Lara COMI, Andreas SCHWAB, Pablo ARIAS ECHEVERRÍA, Marion WALSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Welcomes the creation of a European website dedicated to the monitoring of Internet standards; calls on the Commission to reflect on the creation of an open-access register of all standards developed by the EU in order to allow greater transparency and to encourage citizens to take an interest in the development of European standards.

Amendment 121 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Considers that new rules should strengthen competition, reduce production and sales costs, and benefit of the entire economy and consumers. They should maintain and improve quality, provide information, and ensure interoperability and compatibility, thereby increasing safety and consumer value.

Amendment 122 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Welcomes the launch of a peer review process among Member States and national standardisation bodies to exchange good practices and propose new ideas for a more effective involvement of civil society and users, as well as to set up SMEs-friendly conditions for standardisation;

Amendment 123 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. BRecognises the strategic use of international standards to promote global leadership in critical areas such as green and digital technologies and the need for the EU to ensure its competitiveness, security and strategic autonomy; believes that it is essential to improve European coordination and engagement at international level in relation to standardisation, w~~hile respecting the right of national delegations to reach their own decisions in international forum~~ith like-minded global partners that share the EU’s social, environmental and ethical values; 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~~and societal leadership; is of the opinion that the Commission should set high-level principles to determine if, according to the EU strategic interest, a certain standard should be developed in the European Standardisation Organisations or at international level;

Amendment 124 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. BRecognises the strategic use of international standards to promote global leadership and the need for Europe to ensure its competitiveness, security and strategic autonomy; 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 third-country partners, European policy leadership on standards development can act as a multiplier for European industrial leadership;

Amendment 125 #

Motion for a resolution
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 126 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16 a. Regrets that the effective contribution of societal stakeholders in the international standardisation processes continues to be a major challenge; stresses that the participation of the organisations listed in Annex III should be guaranteed in the technical committees and should not depend on the decision of each committee, which can result in the exclusion of stakeholders representing the interests of consumers, workers and the environment; calls on the Commission and on the European Standardisation Organisations 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 127 #

Motion for a resolution
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 128 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Emphasises that prioritising standardisation matters in cooperation with third countries in bi-, multi- and pluri- lateral settings is also important to ensure that like-minded, inclusive approaches towards standardisation can prevail at international level; encourages, in this regard, the Commission and the CSO to develop key performance indicators, which cover inclusiveness, to monitor commitments on standardisation between the Union and third countries in EU trade agreements, which would lead to an improvement of competition in the internal market and an increase of consumer protection;

Amendment 129 #

Svenja HAHN, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Andrus ANSIP, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Jordi CAÑAS, Ivars IJABS, Catharina RINZEMA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Emphasises that prioritising standardisation matters in cooperation with third countries in bi-, multi- and pluri- lateral settings is also important to ensure that like-minded, inclusive approaches towards standardisation can prevail at international level and foster cooperation between likeminded democratic partners; encourages, in this regard, the Commission and the CSO to develop key performance indicators to monitor commitments on standardisation between the Union and third countries in consultation with the European standardisation organisations;

Amendment 13 #

Svenja HAHN, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Andrus ANSIP, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Jordi CAÑAS, Ivars IJABS, Catharina RINZEMA

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

C a. whereas harmonised standards may be used to confer a presumption that products to be made available on the market are in conformity with the essential requirements that are laid down in the relevant Union harmonisation legislation for those products when they comply with the harmonised standards;

Amendment 130 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Emphasises that prioritising standardisation matters in cooperation with third countries in bi-, multi- and pluri- lateral settings is also important to ensure that like-minded, inclusive approaches towards standardisation can prevail at international level; encourages, in this regard, the Commission and the CSO to ~~develop key performance indicators to~~ monitor commitments on standardisation between the Union and third countries;

Amendment 131 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Emphasises that prioritising standardisation matters in cooperation with third countries in bi-, multi- and pluri- lateral settings is also important to ensure that like-minded, inclusive approaches towards standardisation can prevail at international level; encourages, in this regard, the Commission and the CSO to develop key performance indicators, to monitor commitments and developments on standardisation between the Union and third countries;

Amendment 132 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. Regrets that the EU was not able to take the lead in drafting international standards in very sensitive areas, such as green and digital transition and internet protocols; is worried that technical solutions, often incompatible with the EU’s values and interests, were approved in the international technical committees, endangering the EU objective to promote a free, open, accessible, inclusive and secure global internet; urges the Commission to step up its efforts to become a standard-setter in the international context also through the proposal of policy measures to foster the deployment of key internet standards and sustainability requirements;

Amendment 133 #

Motion for a resolution
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 134 #

Svenja HAHN, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. 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 135 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. Encourages a close European and EU-NATO co-operation regarding harmonization of standards in the field of defence in order to enhance interoperability and avoid duplication of national efforts amongst EU and NATO members;

Amendment 136 #

Motion for a resolution
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

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 138 #

Motion for a resolution
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; believes that such efforts should aim at helping researchers participate in the development of European Norms within the ESOs;

Amendment 139 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Stresses the value of commercialisation for research activities launched under the Union’s research funding programmes, including ~~early~~the consideration of the suitability for standardisation of projects ~~launched under the Union’s research funding programmes~~at an early stage; welcomes the creation of the ‘standardisation booster’, as a test bed for standards’ suitability;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
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 140 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18 a. Considers that the “primacy of international standards” in the EU should be questioned, or at least limited to certain technical areas, in particular given that international standardisation organisations are not required to comply with Regulation (EU) No 10252/2012 on European standardization, and that the effective representation of trade unions at that level is not ensured; Moreover, international standardisation work does not offer any guarantee that international standards comply with EU values and rights, nor does it provide for any role for trade unions to take part;

Amendment 141 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18 a. Stresses the need to unleash the full potential of EU funded pre-normative research in support of standardisation needs; calls on the Commission to encourage further coordination between National and European Standardisation bodies and the research system, in order to bridge the gap between research and the market and to ensure a proper allocation of resources; recalls that the dissemination of research results contributes to the general awareness and creates the basis for further innovation;

Amendment 142 #

Svenja HAHN, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Andrus ANSIP, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Jordi CAÑAS, Ivars IJABS, Catharina RINZEMA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18 a. Underlines that the European Commission should promote the New Legislative Framework, the use and integration of international standards and coordination among all actors, through Free Trade Agreements and in particular with regard to the Global Gateway;

Amendment 143 #

Motion for a resolution
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 144 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)

18 b. Acknowledges the development of the European Code of Practice for researchers on standardisation to promote an overarching approach to standardisation activities; calls on the Commission to ensure that those activities will be in line with EU policy objectives and strategic interests, in particular with the EU Green Deal commitments, and that the achievements in the area of research and innovation will be taken into account by the EU excellence hub;

Amendment 145 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)

18 c. Notes that standards will rely more and more on machine-readable formats rather than on simple texts; calls on the European Standardisation Organisations and on the National Standardisation Bodies to concretely support this transition by ensuring that these formats will be interoperable and reliable and by integrating open source software solutions into their activities, in order to facilitate the uptaking of digital technologies by public administrations and businesses, in particular SMEs and microenterprises;

Amendment 146 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 d (new)

18 d. Is of the opinion that open standards are essential to develop innovative solutions and open government policies, including on public procurement, based on transparency, accountability, sustainability and reliability; believes, therefore, that documents and data should be published in open, standardised formats that are easy to implement;

Amendment 147 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 e (new)

18 e. Believes that the Commission should make additional efforts on setting open, inclusive, sustainable, reliable and high-quality ICT standards that ensure interoperability, accessibility and privacy- by-design solutions;

Amendment 148 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Supports the development of awareness-raising and training programmes aimed at developing pathways towards standardisation activities for academics, future industry professionals and policymakers and civil society representatives; calls for training and mentorship programmes to be launched to promote awareness of standards and the benefits of standardisation, particularly aimed at SMEs and other underrepresented stakeholders in standardisation;

Amendment 149 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Supports the development of awareness-raising and training programmes aimed at developing pathways towards standardisation activities for academics, future industry professionals and policymakers; believes that such awareness-raising and training programmes must be developed in cooperation with the industry to ensure that they are fit-for-purpose and reflect the market-driven approach to standardisation;

Amendment 15 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

C a. whereas the use of open source software and hardware licensing solutions improves the effectiveness and transparency of work for public administrations and businesses and should be encouraged;

Amendment 150 #

Lara COMI, Andreas SCHWAB, Pablo ARIAS ECHEVERRÍA, Marion WALSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Supports the development of awareness-raising and training programmes, including life-long learning programmes, vocational education and training, aimed at developing pathways towards standardisation activities for academics, future industry professionals ~~and~~, policymakers and representatives of the civil society;

Amendment 151 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19 a. Supports funding of European standardization organizations for carrying out preliminary or ancillary activities in relation to European standardization which also include cooperation activities, including international ones, research and conformity assessment activities and measures aimed at ensuring that the processing and revision times for European standards or European standardization deliverables are reduced without prejudice to the founding principles, in particular the principles of openness, quality, transparency and consensus among all stakeholders;

Amendment 152 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19 a. Notes that drafting, implementing and enforcing standards requires a high degree of technical expertise and that there is no formal education nor vocational training on standardisation in the EU, thus contributing to a lack of qualified experts in the public and private sectors; is of the opinion that this situation will be emphasized by the generational turnover and by the new digital challenges that will require more technical skills and competences and that further efforts are needed to increase knowledge and awareness among public and private stakeholders;

Amendment 153 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)

19 b. Welcomes the Commission’s initiative to organise the Standardisation University Days to promote awareness among academia and students and to further include standardisation among the projects of the EU Academy; notes that the High-Level Forum will promote development and dissemination of standardisation academic teaching modules to train young professionals in order to improve competences at operational level; encourages Member States to include relevant professional education courses on standards in their national education systems;

Amendment 154 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Reiterates its call for greater collaboration among EU institutions, national governments, civil society and ESOs in order to develop training guidelines for policymakers and to create a standardisation culture; encourages the European Commission to improve transparency requirements in the field of standardisation in general and to ensure a swift implementation of the regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 as regards the decisions of European standardisation organisations concerning European standards and European standardisation deliverables.

Amendment 155 #

Lara COMI, Andreas SCHWAB, Pablo ARIAS ECHEVERRÍA, Marion WALSMANN

Motion for a resolution
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;

Amendment 156 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Reiterates its call for greater collaboration among EU institutions, the Joint Research Center (JRC), national governments and ESOs in order to develop training guidelines for policymakers and to create a standardisation culture;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)

C b. whereas ICT standards are mostly developed at international level; whereas the EU needs to step up its efforts to improve expertise in this field and become a standard-setter, in order to develop interoperable solutions for complementary products and for the various parts of a particular product;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)

C c. whereas the publication of public data should be based on open and standardised formats, in order to avoid ‘lock-in’ situations with proprietary solutions and in order to guarantee accountability, reproducibility, sustainability and reliability of governmental actions and public procurement;

Amendment 18 #

Alexandra GEESE

Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)

C d. whereas standards should improve product durability, reusability, upgradability and reparability of products, in line with the objectives of the EU Green Deal and the digital transition;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
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 ~~clos~~largely aligns with the weaknesses of the current system identified during the stakeholder consultation; ~~notes also the adoption of, and progress on, the 2022 annual work programme on standardisation~~stresses, however, that such a list of areas for action should be non-exhaustive in order to quickly respond to the changing global challenges and that further focus on the uptake and implementation of standards, especially among SMEs is needed; notes also the adoption of, and progress on, the 2022 annual work programme on standardisation and looks forward to the 2023 and 2024 draft annual work programmes; stresses the need to further involve all relevant stakeholders in the interinstitutional dialogue for the preparation of the annual work programme;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the functioning of the internal market is greatly facilitated by the market’s adoption and use of standards; whereas the adoption of European standards simplifies compliance for market participants and national authorities, replacing as many as 34 national standards with one European standard; European standards play a very important role in the Single Market for goods through the use of harmonised standards in the presumption of conformity of products to be made available on the market with the essential requirements relating to those products laid down in the relevant Union harmonisation legislation.

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

Amendment 23 #

Christian DOLESCHAL, Andreas SCHWAB, Marion WALSMANN

Motion for a resolution
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, ensures fair competition in the market and supports the ~~development~~implementation of European policies in an accountable, transparent and inclusive way; 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, ensuring that the needs and specificities of all relevant stakeholders, including SMEs and societal actors, are taken into account; stresses that according to Regulation 1025/2012, harmonised standards have the legal effect of providing presumption of conformity to legislation, but that the level of consumer, health, safety, environmental and data protection, and the level of social inclusion, are determined by the legislator; stresses, however, that standards cannot be used to address socio-economic issues, and in particular working conditions, health, safety at work, data protection, and workers’ protection and trade unions rights, as well as all issues falling under the competence of the legislator and/or social partners;

Amendment 24 #

2. Considers that the fundamental qualities of the standardisation system remain relevant and effective for the proper functioning of the internal market and the competitiveness of European industry; harmonised standards reduce market barriers; recalls that standards are voluntary, whereas harmonised standards for construction products have a mandatory nature in order to fulfill regulatory needs; 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 policies in an accountable, transparent and inclusive way; 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 25 #

Lara COMI, Pablo ARIAS ECHEVERRÍA, Marion WALSMANN, Andreas SCHWAB

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
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 harmonised 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~~implementation of ambitious European policies in an accountable, transparent and inclusive way, ensuring that needs and specificities of all relevant stakeholders are taken into account; stresses, ~~howe~~moreover, that ~~standards cannot be seen as EU law, since~~Regulation 1025/2012 determines public law relevance of standards, which means that harmonised standards should comply with the objectives set out in the EU 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 27 #

Motion for a resolution
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 should not shift regulatory power to private actors as they are a voluntary, market- driven non-legally binding tool providing technical requirements and guidance~~, the use of which facilitates the compliance of goods and services with European legislation and supports the develop~~; harmonised standards provide manufacturers and service providers with a presumption of conformity with the requirements of ~~European policies in an accountable, transparent and inclusive way~~Union legislation, and can help the implementation of European policies; stresses, however, that standards cannot be use~~en as EU law, since legislation and policies regarding the level of consumer, health, safety, environmental and data~~d to address socio political issues, and in particular working conditions, health, safety at work, data protection, and workers’ protection, and t~~he level of social inclusion, are determined by the legislator~~rade unions rights, as well as all issues falling under the competence of the legislator and/or social partners;

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Stresses that European Standardisation Organisations should comply with the EU legislation and policy objectives not only when drafting standards, but also in their governance; calls on the Commission to assess in the context of the evaluation process of Regulation 1025/2012 if the current governance model of the European Standardisation Organisations should be revised to meet such objectives and calls on the Commission to improve the participation and to strengthen the rights of the societal stakeholders, also within the national standardisation bodies;

Amendment 3 #

Lara COMI, Andreas SCHWAB, Marion WALSMANN, Pablo ARIAS ECHEVERRÍA

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the functioning of the internal market is greatly facilitated by the market’s adoption and use of standards; whereas the adoption of European standards ~~simplifies compliance for market participants and national authorities, replacing as many as 34 national standards with one European standard~~is a pivotal element of the single market, enhancing the competitiveness of European companies and the safety of citizens; whereas the adoption of European standards and European standardisation deliverables facilitates market access, contributes to strengthen the single market and simplifies compliance for market participants and national authorities, providing a presumption of conformity with the essential requirements of the Union legislation;

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Stresses, that consumer, health, safety, environmental and data protection should be pursued by standards but these cannot be seen as EU law, since legislation is determined by the legislator;

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2 b. Stresses that European standards and European standardisation deliverables should ensure the protection of personal data and privacy and should be open, inclusive, transparent, high- quality and sustainable, promoting durable products which are easier to repair, re-use and recycle;

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2 b. Recalls the voluntary nature of standards and considers that only through delegated acts standards can be made mandatory; stresses, in this regard, the importance of maintaining an inclusive process;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 c (new)

2 c. Stresses that European Standards and European standardisation deliverables should meet the objectives of the EU Green Deal, including on climate, environmental, energy, resources-use and biodiversity targets; highlights, however, that in order to deliver on Green Deal commitments, standards should further improve product sustainability, durability, reusability, upgradability and reparability, reduce the expected generation of waste and increase recycled content in products;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 d (new)

2 d. Regrets that many standards still present important differences between Member States, thus creating unjustified barriers to the single market; calls on the Commission to step up its efforts to introduce harmonised standards, in order to reduce market fragmentation and therefore decreasing administrative costs for citizens and businesses, in particular SMEs and microenterprises;

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 e (new)

2 e. Stresses that the standardisation system should prioritize areas with the highest detriment to consumers and should increase its efforts to take in due account the needs of the most vulnerable consumers, such as older persons and persons with disabilities;

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 f (new)

2 f. Regrets that the standardisation system does not allow persons with disabilities and their representative organisations to participate on an equal footing with other stakeholders in the activities of European and national standardisation bodies when drafting accessibility standards; calls, therefore, for an improved representation within the standardisation system and for a balanced representation among designated experts, in order to guarantee a fair outcome of Union's accessibility legislation and standards;

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 g (new)

2 g. Calls on the Commission and on the European standardisation bodies to improve their efforts towards making the standards gender responsive, in line with the Gender Responsive Standards Declaration; invites the Commission to elaborate gender indicators and criteria that could be used in standards development, in order to achieve gender balanced, representative and inclusive standards;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

~~3. Supports the creation of an annual standardisation dashboard;~~deleted

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Supports the creation of an annual standardisation dashboard, to be published along with the Annual Union Work Programme and the ICT Standardisation Rolling Plan, on the planned, current and completed standardisation activities with the aim to give more transparency in the European standardisation system;

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the functioning of the internal market is greatly facilitated by the market’s adoption and use of standards; whereas the adoption of European standards simplifies compliance for market participants and national authorities, replacing as many as 34 national standards with one European standardEuropean standards, replacing as many as 34 potentially conflicting national standards, facilitate market access for those that use them and contribute to strengthening the Single Market;

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
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 41 #

Motion for a resolution
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 priorities and needs, planning future activities and ~~coordinating approaches in~~giving suggestions to the Commission for possible reviews of existing standards, in order to meet the objectives of the European Green Deal and of the Europe Digital Decade; acknowledges that the High-Level Forum will coordinate the effective representation of EU interests and values in international standardisation ~~bodies~~fora; 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~~in a way to increase transparency and social impact of standards and in order to ensure the protection of the public interest and the environment;

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
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 including the needs of SMEs and civil society stakeholders, planning future activities and coordinating approaches in standardisation bodies; encourages the Commission to give preference, particularly in the operational body known as "sherpa", to the selection of candidates from the Member States in order to ensure that the interests of the Union are defended as a priority; 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;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
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 44 #

Motion for a resolution
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, including SMEs and consumers, without losing sight of the bottom-up, market- driven nature of standardisation activities;

Amendment 45 #

Svenja HAHN, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Andrus ANSIP, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Jordi CAÑAS, Ivars IJABS, Catharina RINZEMA

Motion for a resolution
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, including SME associations, without losing sight of the bottom-up, market- driven nature of standardisation activities;

Amendment 46 #

Lara COMI, Andreas SCHWAB, Pablo ARIAS ECHEVERRÍA, Marion WALSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Welcomes the fact that the Forum will work to strengthen technical expertise and skills in the standardisation system, also through sub-groups of experts; highlights that these sub-groups could elaborate programmes to mainstream training activities, in order to increase skills, competences and consistency at EU level;

Amendment 47 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Not~~Welcomes the intention to involve Parliament and the Council in an annual event to prepare priorities for standardisation activities; ~~considers that the importance of~~recalls that standardisation ais a strategic ~~initiative and an operational element of~~for the internal market ~~necessitates~~and considers that deeper and more regular scrutiny by the co- legislators ~~than is possible at an annual event~~is desirable;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
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 49 #

Motion for a resolution
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~~points out that greater competences and consistencies would be key to increase the benefits of harmonised standards on public administrations and businesses; considers that the CSO as an important interlocutor for Parliament should report to the relevant committee every six months, enabling the technical scrutiny of the Commission’s standardisation activities;

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas the European standardisation system isneeds to be based on an open, inclusive, transparent, reliable, high-quality and consensus- based, ~~market-driven approach, ensuring that~~approach, which should involve all stakeholders in a way to ensure theat standards ~~that~~ are developed not only to respond to industry needs but also ~~support the interests of wider society~~to fulfil sustainability requirements and to support the interests of wider society, improving economic, social and environmental conditions as well as the quality of life of citizens, in particular of the most vulnerable groups, such as persons with disabilities;

Amendment 50 #

Lara COMI, Andreas SCHWAB, Pablo ARIAS ECHEVERRÍA, Marion WALSMANN

Motion for a resolution
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 to inform the Parliament on the standardisation activities of the Commission, enabling the technical scrutiny of the Commission’s standardisation activities;

Amendment 51 #

Motion for a resolution
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~~timely adoption of standards and legislative provisions with relevance to standardisation, as well as to the consistent application of the New Legislative Framework; 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;

Amendment 52 #

Svenja HAHN, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Andrus ANSIP, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Jordi CAÑAS, Ivars IJABS, Catharina RINZEMA

Motion for a resolution
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~~timely adoption of standards and legislative provisions with relevance to standardisation as well as the consistent application of the New Legislative Framework; 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;

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
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 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

~~7. Believes that the Commission should establish a clear set of key performance indicators on the aspects of standardisation within its remit;~~deleted

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

~~7. Believes that the Commission should establish a clear set of key performance indicators on the aspects of standardisation within its remit;~~deleted

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Believes that the Commission should establish a clear set of key performance indicators on the aspects of standardisation within its remit, in particular for standards linked to the objectives of the European Green Deal and of the Europe Digital Decade, in order to measure, compare and set precise targets for standardisation-related developments and to identify possible risks and lack of essential aspects, such as participation of civil society, sustainability, security and reliability;

Amendment 57 #

Motion for a resolution
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 58 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Believes that the Commission should establish a clear set of key performance indicators on the aspects of standardisation within its remit, especially for standards linked to the objectives of the European Green Deal and the twin transitions;

Amendment 59 #

Svenja HAHN, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Andrus ANSIP, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Jordi CAÑAS, Ivars IJABS, Catharina RINZEMA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Believes that the Commission should, in consultation with the European Standardisation Organisations, establish a clear set of key performance indicators on the aspects of standardisation within its remit;

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
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 60 #

Christian DOLESCHAL, Andreas SCHWAB, Marion WALSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Believes that the Commission should establish a clear set of key performance indicators on the aspects of standardisation within its remit; including precise targets on civil society participation;

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. ~~Believe~~Recommends that the Commission should establish a clear set of key performance indicators and guidelines on the aspects of standardisation within its remit;

Amendment 62 #

Virginie JORON, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE, Markus BUCHHEIT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. The continued use of traditional European standards on consumer products is essential to ensure that they can be understood by purchasers, for the measurement of speed (km/h), weight (kg), temperature (°C) or dates (30 January 2023), for example. It must be remembered that a number of EU partners such as the United States and the United Kingdom use other standards (°F, miles, 2023-01-30). Dates and times on computers and other items sold in Europe should be displayed in accordance with the configurations used in the Member State or European Union.

Amendment 63 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Notes the risk of overlap between the High-Level Forum ~~and the EU excellence hub, together~~ with other expert groups, industry forums and policy-specific groupings, such as the AccessibleEU centre, which Parliament considers could assist the Commission on standardisation matters; encourages the Commission to avoid the duplication of work streams and to seek collaboration between forums where possible so as to make the best use of experts’ limited time, encourage participation and minimise administrative costs;

Amendment 64 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Notes that the Commission wishes to accelerate the steps involved in developing standards; considers that the timely preparation of ~~standar~~robust standards meeting market and societal needs is necessary for the proper functioning of the internal market, in particular in the case of harmonised standards, but without affecting the quality of consultations with stakeholders; however, consensus building, inclusiveness and the proper verification that standards satisfy EU legal requirements, in particular in the case of harmonised standards, should prevail over speed;

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
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 66 #

Christian DOLESCHAL, Andreas SCHWAB, Marion WALSMANN

Motion for a resolution
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; however, consensus building, inclusiveness and the proper verification that standards satisfy EU legal requirements, in particular in the case of harmonised standards, should prevail over speed;

Amendment 67 #

Motion for a resolution
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 and keeping pace with innovation and international competitiveness, in particular in the case of harmonised standards;

Amendment 68 #

Lara COMI, Andreas SCHWAB, Pablo ARIAS ECHEVERRÍA, Marion WALSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Notes that the Commission wishes to accelerate the steps involved in developing standards; considers that the timely preparation of ~~standar~~high-quality standards meeting market and societal needs is necessary for the proper functioning of the internal market, in particular in the case of harmonised standards;

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. ~~Not~~Welcomes 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;

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
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 respond to industry needs but also support the interests of wider society; including the ones of consumer representatives, civil society on environment and social rights, trade unions and SMEs.

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Believes that delays in the standardisation processes stem from various causes; considers that the Commission may wish to reconsider its approach following the James Elliot3 case and avoid the use of overly prescriptive requirements in relation to standardisation requests, which reduce the capacity of experts to propose appropriate solutions to meet the needs of a standard and narrow the scope for future-proofing standards; _________________ 3 Judgement of the Court of 27 October 2016, James Elliott Construction Limited v Irish Asphalt Limited, C-613/14, ECLI:EU:C:2016:821.deleted

Amendment 71 #

Christian DOLESCHAL, Marion WALSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

Amendment 72 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Believes that the long delays in the standardisation processes ~~stem from various causes~~that could have been observed in particular for standards for construction products stem from various causes one of them certainly the Commission's interpretation of the James Elliot judgement; considers that the Commission ~~may wish to~~should urgently reconsider its approach following the James Elliot3 case and avoid the use of overly prescriptive requirements in relation to standardisation requests, which reduce the capacity of experts to propose appropriate and timely solutions to meet the needs of a standard ~~and~~, narrow the scope for future-proofing standards; and slow down innovation; _________________ 3 Judgement of the Court of 27 October 2016, James Elliott Construction Limited v Irish Asphalt Limited, C-613/14, ECLI:EU:C:2016:821.

Amendment 73 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Recalls that standardisation requests are issued by the Commission, in line with EU legislation and policies that underpin the protection of consumers, health, safety, environment, data and that guarantee social inclusion; notes, in this context, that the role of European Standardisation Organisations is to meet such requests, in order to support the public interest’s objectives set out in the EU legislation;

Amendment 74 #

Lara COMI, Andreas SCHWAB, Pablo ARIAS ECHEVERRÍA, Marion WALSMANN

Motion for a resolution
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 75 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Considers that EU product legislation should focus on essential health and safety requirements through a technology-neutral approach, leaving the technical details to harmonised EU standards;

Amendment 76 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Stresses that there may be inherent limits to speeding up the standardisation process, as the ~~prepa~~draftiong of standards, and 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~~the publication of the harmonised standard’s reference in the Official Journal of the European Union; highlights that uptaking existing standards rather than drafting new ones would also have positive effects on timing and it would allow for easier understanding and implementation; points out, however, that the unduly rushed preparation or deployment of standards creates challenges for all stakeholders, including national authorities; 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 needimportant issues for all stakeholders, including national authorities, since technical aspects and contributions require time to be elaborated by all stakeholders involved in the consensus-building process; stresses the important role on speeding up the standardisation process of the High- Level Forum for Standardisation and of the EU excellence hub, which should take a proactive approach to allow for a timely identification of standardisation needs and should help striking a fair balance between the need to shorten the process and the necessity to ensure open, inclusive, sustainable, reliable and high- quality standards; 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 early exchange of information on the content and feasibility of planned standardization requests and the consideration of the most suitable standardisation deliverable depending on the need; welcomes in this context the action plan of the Task Force “Timely European Standards for a Green and Digital, Single and Global Market” between the Commission, EFTA and the ESOs;

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
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 78 #

Svenja HAHN, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Andrus ANSIP, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Jordi CAÑAS, Ivars IJABS, Catharina RINZEMA

Motion for a resolution
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; 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~~early exchange of information on the content and feasibility of planned standardization requests and the consideration of the most suitable standardisation deliverable depending on the need; welcomes the action plan of the Task Force “Timely European Standards for a Green and Digital, Single and Global Market” between the Commission, EFTA and the ESOs;

Amendment 79 #

Motion for a resolution
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 and robust 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;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas the European standardisation system is, based on ~~an inclusive,~~ consensus-based, that follows a market- driven approach, ~~ensuring~~should aim at ensuring the inclusiveness of the process to that the standards that are developed not only respond to industry needs but also fulfill sustainability requirements and support the interests of wider society;

Amendment 80 #

Motion for a resolution
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; calls for stable, clear criteria for the assessment of harmonised standards, commonly understood by all stakeholders; 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; 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;

Amendment 81 #

Motion for a resolution
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; 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~~which should entail an early exchange of information on the contents and the feasibility of standardization requests the Commission is planning and the consideration of the most suitable standardisation deliverable depending on the need;

Amendment 82 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11 a. Highlights in this context that the work program of the task force between the Commission, the European Free Trade Area and the ESOs titled “A Successful European Standardisation System – Timely European Standards for a Green and Digital Single Market” can increase the efficiency of the standardization process, as it helps address questions of understanding and feasibility at an early stage of the standardization process;

Amendment 83 #

Motion for a resolution
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 84 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11 a. Stresses the need for stable and 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, in particular with regards to the work of the HAS consultants;

Amendment 85 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11 b. Believes that the Commission must ensure a smooth functioning of the Harmonized Standards Consultants (HASC) system to enable the timely delivery of harmonized standards and their publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, in particular to avoid a decoupling between harmonized standards and international standards due to delays caused by the HASC system; stresses that the Commission must ensure proper financial planning for HASC consultants and suggests to increase coordination between HASCs and the EU Excellence hub on standardization;

Amendment 86 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Considers that anthe evaluation of Regulation (EU) 1025/2012 ~~may identify~~that was launched in 2022 should identify best practices and areas where reform is needed beyond the targeted amendment already introduced by the Commission; considers that the role, participation and input of relevant stakeholders, including those representing, inter alia, SMEs and environmental, social and consumer interests, should be ~~evaluated and strengthened where such reforms may be beneficial~~strengthened in order to ensure that core interests and values of the EU citizens are adequately represented and in order to support and complement~~ary to~~ the work envisaged by the ESOs following the Commission’s call for them to present proposals to reform their own internal governance; notes that such a reform should address the uneven and non-transparent representation of industrial interests while ensuring inclusiveness and effective participation of societal stakeholders, which should be implemented beyond the simple obligation of efforts, as defined in Articles 5 and 16 of Regulation (EU) 1025/2012, also taking into account the results of the consensus-building process;

Amendment 87 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Considers that an evaluation of Regulation (EU) 1025/2012 may identify areas where reform is needed beyond the targeted amendment already introduced by the Commission; considers that the role, participation and input of relevant stakeholders, including those representing, inter alia, SMEs and environmental, social and consumer interests, should be evaluated and strengthened ~~where such reforms may be beneficial and complementary to work envisaged by the ESOs following the Commission’s call for them to present proposals to reform their own internal governance~~following the Commission’s call for the ESO's to present proposals to reform their own internal governance, by; Systematically and actively facilitating the participation of SME's and societal stakeholders' representatives within National Standardisation Bodies (NSBs); Strengthening the rights of Annex III organisatinos within the ESO's by expanding the right for opinion and broadening their right of appeal;

Amendment 88 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Considers that an evaluation of Regulation (EU) 1025/2012 may identify areas where reform is needed beyond the targeted amendment already introduced by the Commission; considers that the role, participation and input of relevant stakeholders, including those representing, inter alia, SMEs, trade unions and environmental, social and consumer interests, should be evaluated and strengthened where such reforms may be beneficial and complementary to work envisaged by the ESOs following the Commission’s call for them to present proposals to reform their own internal governance; a reform should ensure that inclusiveness and effective participation of societal stakeholders is implemented in a harmonised manner beyond the simple obligation of efforts, as defined in Articles 5 and 16 of the Regulation, and also takes account of the actual results of the consensus-building process;

Amendment 89 #

Christian DOLESCHAL, Andreas SCHWAB

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Considers that an evaluation of Regulation (EU) 1025/2012 may identify areas where reform is needed beyond the targeted amendment already introduced by the Commission; considers that the ~~role, participation and input of relevant stakeholders, includ~~re should be a balance in representation between commercial and non-commercial interests when determining standards, as well as a balance between SME's and large corporations withing th~~ose representing, inter alia, SMEs and~~e commercial interests; considers the role, participation and input of societal, environmental~~, social~~ and consumer interests, in particular trade unions, should be evaluated and strengthened where such reforms may be beneficial and complementary to work envisaged by the ESOs following the Commission’s call for them to present proposals to reform their own internal governance;

Amendment 9 #

Motion for a resolution
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 respond to industry needs but also support the interests of wider society~~to address the needs of industry but at the same time can contribute to wider society interests and challenges;

Amendment 90 #

Svenja HAHN, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Andrus ANSIP, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Jordi CAÑAS, Ivars IJABS, Catharina RINZEMA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Considers that an evaluation of Regulation (EU) 1025/2012 may identify areas where further efforts with the option of a reform, isf deemed necessary, are needed beyond the targeted amendment already introduced by the Commission; considers that the role, participation and input of relevant stakeholders, including those representing, inter alia, SMEs and environmental, social and consumer interests, should be evaluated and strengthened where such reforms may be beneficial and complementary to work envisaged by the ESOs following the Commission’s call for them to present proposals to reform their own internal governance;

Amendment 91 #

Lara COMI, Andreas SCHWAB, Pablo ARIAS ECHEVERRÍA, Marion WALSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Considers that improving the participation of civil society, including consumer organisations, should be a priority for the European Commission and may require significant changes to the current governance model, including a revision of Regulation 1025/2012; Considers that civil society participation in standardisation today remains irregular and insufficient because of limited funding and resources; believes that the Commission should increase its financial support and ensure that funding programmes are available that can provide substantial, long-term and stable financial support for the involvement of consumer groups into the standardisation system;

Amendment 92 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Recalls that in the past years, the practices in the European standardisation organisations as regards their internal governance and decision-making procedures have changed, with European standardisation organisations increasing their co-operation with international and European stakeholders; however, when European standardisation organisations execute standardisation requests to support Union legislation and policies, it is essential that their internal decisions take into account the interests, policy objectives, and values of the Union, as well as the public interests in general.

Amendment 93 #

Motion for a resolution
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 94 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Acknowledges that only a limited number of civil society organisations participate in the European and national standardisation work; believes that, in view of increasing the participation of civil society and broadening the scope of Annex III of Regulation 1025/2012, the Commission should carry out a mapping of civil society organisations which have an interest in contributing to the standardisation work at European level;

Amendment 95 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Acknowledges that only a limited number of civil society organisations participate in the European and national standardisation work. Believes that, in view of increasing the participation of civil society and broadening the scope of Annex III of Regulation 1025/2012, the Commission should carry out a mapping of civil society organisations which have an interest in contributing to the standardisation work at European level;

Amendment 96 #

Svenja HAHN, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Andrus ANSIP, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Jordi CAÑAS, Ivars IJABS, Catharina RINZEMA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Highlights the role of SME participation in the standardisation process and believes it should be increased and improved, especially in international standardisation; calls for sufficient financial support to be provided to facilitate the participation of SMEs and SME associations and to make use of existing tools and guidance that take into account the needs and interests of SMEs;

Amendment 97 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)

12 b. Considers that civil society participation in standardisation today remains insufficient because of limited funding and resources; believes that the Commission should increase its financial support and ensure that funding programmes are available that can provide substantial, long-term and stable financial support for the involvement of consumer groups into the standardisation system;

Amendment 98 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Welcomes the focus on national- level involvement of wider stakeholders in standardisation activities; notes that not all organisations listed in Annex III have national counterparts in ~~the Member States; considers that the Commission may direct funding or technic~~all Member States that are able to participate in the work of the national mirror committees; stresses the diversity of practices in defining membership conditions by national standardization bodies in Europe, including participation fees; considers that the Commission should increase technical support and direct funding in order to guarantee substantial, long-term and stable financial support to th~~ose~~e European 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 wholelisted in Annex III and to ensure the effective participation of their national organisations in national standardisation activities on an equal footing with industry representatives, 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 ensuring that their interests and inputs are duly taken into account and reinforcing the inclusivity of the process as a whole; invites the Commission to assess whether the Member States should support the funding to the European organisations listed in Annex III in order to foster a harmonised approach in the EU;

Amendment 99 #