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Standardization plays a key role in contributing to the success of the Single Market and facilitating the political objectives of the European Union (EU), such as the ecological and digital transition. CEN and CENELEC, the European standards organizations, and their Spanish counterpart, the Spanish Association for Standardization, UNE, welcome the Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union, which will allow them to work together toward building a greener, resilient and competitive Europe.
Brussels/Madrid, 3 July 2023 - Under the slogan "Europe, closer", the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which began on 1 July
and will end in December of this year, has the goal of furthering the work of the EU Council on important issues such as reindustrialization, the climate emergency, economic governance, social policy and European unity.
As two of the officially recognized European standards organizations, CEN and CENELEC, together with their Spanish UNE member, are delighted by the opportunities that the Presidency will bring to highlight the role of standardization and show how it can provide the best support for achieving the goals set by Spain.
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Reindustrialize the EU and guarantee its open strategic autonomy. The Spanish Presidency aims to promote the growth of strategic industries in Europe through stronger supply chains and broader commercial relations to avoid excessive dependence on third countries. A key aspect for this will be to propose a strategy that guarantees the EU's economic, security and global leadership by 2030. European standards play a key role in facilitating global trade, while also ensuring that third-country products that enter the Single Market meet European quality expectations. CEN and CENELEC consider it essential to cooperate with standards bodies around the world to share best practices, and have established partnerships with key regional and national standards bodies outside Europe. This includes agreements with the Japanese standards body (JISC), the African Organization for Standardization (ARSO), the Indian standards body (BIS) and many more.
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Further the ecological transition and environmental adaptation. The Spanish Presidency will continue to make progress in the ecological transition and in strengthening the EU's fight against climate change. Key initiatives include the reform of the electricity market, the gas and hydrogen package, the reduction of waste and microplastics, and measures for the generation of green fuels. CEN and CENELEC are signatories to the London Declaration, which translates into a commitment by the international standardization community to contribute to the achievement of the targets set by the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). They also created the Strategic Advisory Body on Environment (SABE) to lead the strategic relationship between environmental challenges, climate change and standardization.
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Promote greater social and economic justice. The Spanish Presidency wants to make sure that Europe's economic growth benefits everyone. Work will be done to create a prosperous and fair economy through the fight against tax evasion, greater transparency, the increased sustainability of public finances and improved workers' rights. A strong European standardization system can be a key factor in promoting economic growth in Europe. Standardization has been a driving force for economic growth in many countries: a recent study estimates that standards have led to GDP increases of 2,600 million euros a year in the Nordic countries and the Netherlands. In addition, the European standardization system also takes into account the experience of civil society as partners in Annex III, which guarantees that the development of technical standards will always include a social perspective.
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Strengthen European unity. The Spanish Presidency believes that European unity is crucial to finding the solutions needed for the multiple challenges facing the continent. Promoting this unit is a priority. This includes the need to expand the Single Market, ensure the operation of the Union's capital markets, improve migration management and support Ukraine. The Single European Market has provided many benefits to the lives of Europeans by facilitating the continuous movement of goods, services and people. CEN and CENELEC are proud of the contribution standards have made to this success. Both entities are currently celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Single Market through the campaign "30 years of standards supporting the Single Market".
CEN, CENELEC and UNE are hoping to make standards more visible as an element that facilitates the goals of the Spanish Presidency. To this end, an event will take place on October 10 called "Standardization: strategic instrument for the climate and digital transition", as part of the official programme of the Spanish Presidency of the EU.
