-
The Spanish Association for Standardization, UNE, highlights the importance of leading international and European standardisation, which has a direct impact on increasing international trade, boosting business competitiveness and the enhancing Spanish Brand.
-
Standards are estimated to contribute 1% of GDP to Spanish economic growth, reduce business costs by 7% and improve productivity by 13%. Standards also make it easier for Spanish economic sectors to access global markets.
-
Spain is an international leader in standardisation: several Spaniards hold positions of responsibility in the governing bodies of international and European standardisation bodies, with Javier García, director general of UNE and vice-president of ISO, leading the way.
-
In addition, Spanish experts lead more than 150 presidencies and secretariats of technical bodies of ISO, IEC, CEN and CENELEC and ETSI, placing them at the global forefront in fields such as tourism, health, renewable energies, smart cities, footwear, cosmetics, heat pumps, electrical and electronic products and sustainable construction.
Madrid, 25 January 2024 – A study by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), reported by the Spanish Association for Standardization, UNE, concludes that the contribution of standards to the gross profit of companies that apply them accounts for up to 5% of their annual sales revenue. In addition, standards contribute to a 13% improvement in productivity and a 7% reduction in business costs in Spain, according to another study by the Spanish Institute of Economic Studies (IEE). From a macroeconomic point of view, the contribution of technical standards to Spain's economic growth is estimated at 1% of GDP, a percentage very similar to that of the most advanced countries in our region, according to several international studies.
These data reflect the importance of leading international and European standards, which have a direct effect on increasing international trade, boosting the competitiveness of the Spanish productive fabric and improving the Spain Brand.
In this sense, Spain is an international leader in standardisation: several Spaniards hold positions of responsibility in the governing bodies of international and European standardisation bodies, with Javier García, director general of UNE and vice-president of ISO, leading the way. In addition, experts from our country lead more than 150 presidencies and secretariats of technical bodies in ISO, IEC, CEN and CENELEC and ETSI.
In this respect, Javier García underlines the role of UNE, stating that "it is an active global player that works to ensure that Spanish organisations play a leading role in European and international standardisation processes; leading global standards is the difference between following what others have decided or participating in the decisions that affect our competitiveness, thus exporting our technology and innovation around the world".
In the framework of international trade and exports, standards facilitate access to global markets for Spanish economic sectors by improving compatibility, reducing transaction costs and serving as a sign of quality. Standards harmonise export requirements to markets and eliminate technical barriers to trade, guaranteeing the quality of products and services. In fact, more than 90% of world trade is backed by standards or associated technical regulations, according to the US Department of Commerce.
In Spain, 77% of companies that allocate over 50% of their sales to export, state that standardisation translates into a significant increase in their exporting capacity, according to the IEE report.
Spanish leadership in standardisation
Spain has representatives on the Boards of Directors of the European standardisation bodies CEN and CENELEC, as well as on the technical boards of the international bodies ISO and IEC. UNE Director General Javier García is the first Spaniard to hold the ISO vice-presidency for the period 2023-2024; he is also a member of the CEN Board of Directors.
At the technical level, Spanish experts lead more than 150 chairs and secretariats of standardisation bodies in international and European organisations. The vast majority of these professionals are members of UNE, including relevant sectoral associations. UNE is made up of 550 members representing practically the entire Spanish productive fabric.
This representativeness of Spanish economic sectors is reflected in the sectoral distribution of international responsibilities, especially in those with a focus on exports. Specifically, 44 responsibilities in the electro-technical and electronics sector, 13 in construction and 11 in the iron and steel sector.
In this context, Spain leads standardisation in fields such as tourism, healthcare, renewable energies, smart cities, footwear, cosmetics, heat pumps, electrical and electronic products and sustainable construction. In addition, there are an increasing number of Spanish UNE standards that serve as a basis for the development of global standards.
For example, in the field of sustainable construction, FCC (a SEOPAN partner) leads the international ISO and European CEN standardisation in infrastructure sustainability assessment, promoting the development of global standards, including the UNE-EN 17472 standard, which establishes the calculation methods for assessing the sustainability of civil engineering works. This standard considers aspects of climate change and circularity at the European level.
In the field of tourism, it is worth highlighting the UNE-ISO 21902 Standard on accessible tourism for all, promoted by the ONCE Foundation and the World Tourism Organization in the international committee led by the Spanish Institute for Tourism Quality. This standard, the first of its kind in the world, marks a turning point in helping industry to understand and adapt its services and facilities to people with disabilities.
