Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee - Towards an increased contribution from standardisation to innovation in Europe
Date: 2008-03-11
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, European cooperation, European standard, harmonisation of standards, innovation, international standard, standardisation, technical cooperation

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 11.3.2008 
COM(2008) 133 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE 

Towards an increased contribution from standardisation to innovation in Europe 

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1. 

INTRODUCTION 

In  the  EU  strategy  for  Growth  and  Jobs,  the  Commission  and  the  Council  of  the  European 
Union have identified standardisation as a key instrument for improvement in order to foster 
innovation. The Competitiveness Council of 4 December 2006, addressing in its Conclusions1 
the subject of innovation, stressed the need to enhance the European standards-setting system, 
and  invited  the  Commission  to  present  proposals  for  action  to  be  taken  by  the  relevant 
stakeholders to reform and streamline the system. The European Parliament, in its resolution 
on innovation strategy2, also underlined the contribution of standards to innovation policy. 

This  Communication,  responding  to  the  invitation  of  the  Council,  focuses  on  a  greater 
contribution  from  standardisation  to  innovation  and  competitiveness.  It  identifies  the  most 
important  challenges  faced,  presents  concrete  objectives  for  standardisation  and  the  use  of 
standards,  and  consolidates  on-going  efforts and proposed measures  to be launched both by 
relevant stakeholders and by the Commission. 

2. 

POLITICAL OBJECTIVES AND CHALLENGES. 

As highlighted in previous policy documents, in particular the Communications on a broad-
based  innovation  strategy3  and  on  the  mid-term  review  of  industrial  policy4,  innovation  is 
central  in  tackling  the  key  challenges  faced  by  the  European  Union.  A  stronger  role  for 
standardisation in support of innovation is important for the European effort to address 
economic,  environmental  and  social  challenges.  While  the  lack  of  standards,  the  limited 
uptake  of  new  standardisation  items  or  the  slow  updating  of  existing  standards  hamper  the 
uptake of innovation, standardisation that is lively and strong has the power to accelerate the 
access of innovation to both domestic and global markets. 

The  current  standardisation  models  in  Europe  and  at  international  level  are  called  into 
question  by  challenges  such  as  accelerated  market  cycles,  the  convergence  in  technologies 
and  the  trend  towards  global  markets.  This  occurs  in  the  context  of  growing  international 
competition  in  standards-setting  from  emerging  powers,  who  consider  standardisation  an 
important  strategic  asset.  It  follows  that  standardisation  must  adapt  to  this  changed 
landscape, while strengthening its role in support of innovation and competitiveness. 

3. 

THE CONTRIBUTION OF STANDARDISATION TO INNOVATION AND COMPETITIVENESS 

Standardisation  is  a  voluntary  cooperation  among  industry,  consumers,  public  authorities 
and  other  interested  parties  for  the  development  of  technical  specifications  based  on 
consensus. Standardisation complements market-based competition, typically in order to 
achieve  objectives  such  as  the  interoperability  of  complementary  products/services,  and  to 
agree  on  test  methods  and  on  requirements  for  safety,  health,  organisational  and 
environmental  performance.  Standardisation  also  has  a  dimension  of  public  interest,  in 

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4 

http://www.eu2006.fi/news_and_documents/conclusions/vko50/en_GB/1165932111543/ 
European  Parliament  resolution  of  24  May  2007  on  putting  knowledge  into  practice:  a  broad-based 
innovation strategy for Europe 
COM(2006)502 final “Putting knowledge into practice: A broad-based innovation strategy for the EU” 
COM(2007)374,  “Mid-term  review  of  industrial  policy.  A  contribution  to  the  EU’s  Growth  and  Jobs 
Strategy” 

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particular whenever issues of safety, health, security and of the environment are at stake. In 
addition  the  standard-setting  process  needs  to  be  in  line  with  European  competition 
provisions. 

Standardisation,  usually  bringing  predictability  and  a  level  playing  field,  may  be  intuitively 
perceived as conflicting with innovation, which strives for change and exclusivity. However, 
as  confirmed  by  the  stakeholder  consultation,  dynamic  standardisation  is  an  important 
enabler of innovation. This occurs in different ways: 

(a)  Standards that express the state of the art give innovators a level playing field 
facilitating interoperability and competition between new and already existing 
products, services and processes. Standards provide customers with trust in the 
safety and performance of new products and allow differentiation of products 
through reference to standardised methods; 

(b)  The  development  of  new  standards  is  also  necessary  to  accompany  the 
emergence of new markets and the introduction of complex systems, such as 
the expansion of the Internet; 

(c)  The  use  of  standards  contributes  to  diffusing  knowledge  and  facilitating  the 
application of technology; this may then trigger innovation, in particular non-
technological innovation in the service sector.  

A strong role for Europe in international standardisation is also a means of capitalising 
on  European  leadership  in  new  markets  and  of  gaining  first-mover  advantages  in  global 
markets. 

Most  of  the  benefits  of  standards  for  innovation  only  materialise  when  standards  are 
effectively  implemented  and  market-relevant.  The  actual  use  of  standards  remains 
voluntary, depending on the perception of different market players of their interests and their 
capacity  to  use  them.  Standards  may  fail  to  achieve  relevance  because  of  the  inappropriate 
timing  of  their  development  or  their  lack  of  visibility,  or  due  to  the  existence  of  competing 
standards which introduce uncertainty.  

European stakeholders engage in standardisation both formally and informally. Formal 
standardisation  has  a  three-level  structure  which  includes  the  national  standards  bodies 
(NSBs),  the  three  European  Standards  Organisations  (ESOs5)  and  the  international 
organisations6. The ESOs have been formally recognised by the EU in Directive 98/34/EC7. 
Industry  also  engages  in  informal  standardisation  in  hundreds  of  fora  and  consortia,  with 
different characteristics in terms of longevity, sectoral coverage, and territorial scope, which 
is often global and thus may clash with the 3-level structure of formal standardisation. 

The European Union has an active standardisation policy that promotes standardisation in 
support of Better Regulation8
 and as a tool for European competitiveness. Formal European 
standardisation  has  been  particularly  important  in  supporting  New  Approach  legislation  for 
the  Single  Market  for  goods.  This  legislative  technique  has  been  instrumental  in  putting  in 

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CEN for the majority of sectors, CENELEC for the electro-technical area, ETSI in telecommunications 
IEC in the electro-technical area, ITU in telecommunications and ISO in most other areas, but also the 
International Civil Aviation Organisation, Codex Alimentarius, UN-CEFACT, etc 
OJ L 204, 21.7.1998, p.37 
COM(2004)674  on  the  role  of  European  standardisation  in  the  framework  of  European  policies  and 
legislation 

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place innovation-friendly regulation, where technical  specifications which allow compliance 
with  legal  requirements  are  developed  by  the  interested  parties  themselves  and  updated 
according to the state of the art. The reliance on voluntary standards in support of legislation 
in other sectors will help to remove further regulatory barriers to innovation. 

In  the  services  sector,  there  is  still  a  limited number  of  standards  resulting  mainly  from  the 
heterogeneous and intangible nature of services, as well as the access difficulties for SMEs, 
who  are  the  predominant  actors.  Therefore,  it  is  necessary  to  analyse  further  in  what  way 
standards can contribute to innovation and the development of services markets.  

4. 

THE ROLE OF STANDARDS IN PRIORITY ACTIONS FOR INNOVATION. 

Though  most  standardisation  occurs  on  the  initiative  of  market  actors,  the  EU  expects 
standardisation  to  make  an  important  contribution  to  the  following  priority  actions  for 
innovation: 

(1)  Sustainable industrial policy: this aims at improving the energy and resource 
efficiency  of  products,  processes  and  services  and  the  competitiveness  of 
European industry. Standardisation is important in enabling the uptake of eco-
innovation and environmental technologies and facilitating their dissemination 
in  the  Single  Market  and  access  to  global  markets9.  In  addition,  advanced 
performance  benchmarks  and  wider  use  of  labelling  will  be  necessary  to 
inform consumers about product performance and reward frontrunners.  

The  Commission  will  issue  requests  for  the  development  of  standards  to  support 
Directive  2005/32/EC  on  the  eco-design  of  Energy-using  Products  (EuP),  the 
measurement  of  greenhouse  gas  emissions,  the  introduction  of  renewable  energies, 
the  improvement  of  energy  management,  and  other  goals  in  relation  to  the 
forthcoming  Sustainable  Industrial  Policy  and  Sustainable  Production  and 
Consumption initiatives. 

(2)  Lead markets: the lead market initiative10 aims to accelerate the emergence of 
innovative market areas11 through the close coordination of innovation policy 
instruments. Standardisation is one of the key elements for the success of this 
initiative:  a  European  lead  in  developing  globally  accepted  standards  and  an 
anticipatory  approach  would  facilitate  the  growth  of  these  markets  both  in 
Europe  and  abroad.  To  account  for  the  crucial  time  dimension  in  these 
markets, a particularly focused effort should be made to accelerate standards-
setting to enable international acceptance.  

The Commission will issue requests for the  development  of standards  in support of 
lead  markets  and  will  consider,  together  with  stakeholders,  which  type  of  standard 
best matches the needs in terms of timing and international perspective.  

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COM(2004)38,  introducing  ETAP,  an  Environmental  Technologies  Action  Plan  for  the  European 
Union 
COM (2007) 860 “A lead market initiative for Europe” 
Such as eHealth, sustainable construction and recycling and renewable energies 

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(3)  Public  procurement:  the  appropriate  use  of  standards  in  public  procurement 
may foster innovation, while providing administrations with the tools needed to 
fulfil their tasks. Instead of prescribing particular technical solutions, the use of 
technology-neutral standards allows contracting authorities to call for advanced 
performance  and  functional  requirements  (e.g.  relating  to  environmental 
aspects  or  to  accessibility  for  all),  thus  stimulating  the  search  for  innovative 
technologies that provide best value for money in the long term, while ensuring 
safety and interoperability. 

A  case  in  point  is  that  of  defence,  where  national  agencies  too  often  rely  on 
existing divergent national standards which limit the breadth of the market for 
innovation  and  hamper  its  diffusion.  Pooling  civil  and  military  resources 
through reference to multiple-use standards and the harmonisation of standards 
for  defence  procurement  has  the  potential  to  improve  efficiency  and  provide 
more incentives to innovation. 

–  The  Commission  will  promote  the  use  of  guidelines  and  of  good  practice12  to 
European  administrations  at  all  levels  to  enhance  innovation  through  public 
procurement.  

–  Complementing 

the 
the  European  Defence  Equipment  Market 
Commission  has  asked  CEN  to  develop  a  European  Handbook  for  Defence 
Procurement and will encourage its use by Member States.  

initiative, 

(4)  The  integration  of  ICT  in  industry  and  administrations:  the  potential  to 
improve  the  competitive  position  of  the  European  economy  through  a  more 
efficient and effective use of ICT tools is important, and standards are essential 
to  realise  this  potential.  Standards  are  also  key  enablers  for  societal 
applications of ICT, such as e-Identity, e-Health and RFID13.  

Taking into account the recently published “Study on the specific policy needs 
for ICT standardisation”14, the main subjects for the revision of standardisation 
policy in the ICT area are: 

(a)  A better integration of informal ICT standards development bodies to the 
EU standardisation system, in order to allow EU ICT policies to benefit 
from the expertise of those fora and consortia  

(b)  The  creation  of  a  policy  dialogue  platform  for  all  ICT  standardisation 

stakeholders  

(c)  The need to address other aspects such as interoperability testing, access 
to  standards  and  IPR  issues  in  order  to  enable  the  rapid  uptake  of 
standards in market solutions 

Following consultation with stakeholders, the Commission will in 2008 seek a broad 
agreement  on  how  ICT  standardisation  policy  will  be  revised,  to  be  followed  by 
policy  proposals,  in  particular  regarding  the  possible  revision  of  Council  Decision 
87/95/EC on ICT standardisation. 

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Particularly  relevant  are  SEC  2007  (280)  Guide  on  dealing  with  innovative  solutions  in  public 
procurement, and ongoing Europe Innova networks http://www.europe-innova.org 
Radio-Frequency Identification 
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/ict/policy/standards/piper/full_report.pdf 

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Standards  should  also  enable  innovation  in  many  areas  not  included  above,  in  particular 
where  standardisation  needs  have  been  identified  in  the  context  of  European  Technology 
Platforms  (ETPs)  and  Joint  Technology  Initiatives  (JTIs).  Relevant  examples  are  Space, 
Galileo, Fuel Cells and Hydrogen and Nanotechnologies.  

5. 

HOW  TO  STRENGTHEN  THE  CONTRIBUTION  OF  STANDARDISATION  TO  INNOVATION 
AND COMPETITIVENESS 

If  standardisation  is  to  fully  realise  its  potential  benefits  in  support  of  innovation,  it  must 
adapt  itself  to  the  needs  of  innovation  and  respond  to  the  challenges  resulting  from 
globalisation, the emergence of new economic powers, and the evolution of technology. The 
responsibility for the continuous improvement of European standardisation mostly belongs to 
its private stakeholders, but, due to its important public interest dimension, the Commission 
and the Member States also have a role to play. 

The  Commission  has  identified  the  following  nine  key  elements  for  focusing  EU 
standardisation policy on innovation: 

(1)  Re-assert the commitment to market-led standardisation and to the voluntary 
use  of  standards.  The  specific  added  value  of  standardisation  with  respect  to 
setting  technical  specifications  lies  indeed  in  the  voluntary  cooperation  of 
private and public actors. 

The  Commission  encourages  industry  to  set  up  or  accelerate  cooperation  in  the 
development,  implementation  and  use  of  standards  in  support  of  innovation  and 
competitiveness 

(2)  Recognise  the  importance  of  both  formal  and  informal  standards  for 
innovation.  A  formal  standardisation  process  which  fully  respects  the 
principles  of  openness,  inclusiveness,  transparency  and  coherence  and  is 
accountable  for  establishing  consensus  between  all  national  positions  and 
interested  parties  is  necessary.  At  the  same  time,  other  standards,  developed 
both within the recognised standards organisations and in other organisations, 
are often more receptive to innovative technologies, and play thus an important 
role in accelerating their acceptance by the market. In order to get the benefits 
of  both 
the  European 
standardisation  system  and  optimise  the  impact  of  available  experts,  it  is 
important  to  facilitate  good  coordination  of  activities  between  formal  and 
informal  standards  bodies.  In  this  respect,  the  practice  of  ETSI  at  European 
level,  and  of  ISO  and  IEC  at  international  level,  of  engaging  in  collaboration 
with many informal standards fora needs to be considered as good practice. 

types  of  standard,  preserve 

the  coherence  of 

–  The  Commission  invites  the  ESOs  to  develop  less  formal  standardisation 

deliverables when appropriate for industry and user needs. 

–  The Commission invites the standards organisations, both formal and informal, to 
find  ways  of  cooperating  during  the  planning  of  activities  and  of  transferring 
standards  to  the  most  appropriate  level,  international  or  European,  for  dealing 
with the market in question. 

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to 

that  allow  access 

(3)  Focus on  standards development for the global market. European  industry 
increasingly  global  markets. 
needs  standards 
Consequently,  standards-making  shifts  towards  the  international  level,  where 
the  stakes  of  setting  standards  in  cooperation  with  other  trading  partners  are 
higher than ever. This is a strategic challenge that industry must address. It is 
important  that  European  industry  is  involved  from  the  onset  in  setting 
standards for global markets. In this context, the focus of the ESOs and the 
National  Standards  Bodies  (NSBs)  should  be  to  facilitate  European 
standardisation  work.  Coordination 
contributions 
mechanisms  between  the  European  and  international  standards  organisations 
already  exist,  allowing  stakeholders  to  decide  whether  the  European  or  the 
international  level  should  lead  in  the  development  of  international  standards. 
However,  the  emergence  of  new  economic  powers  who  may  gradually  assert 
their  role  in  international  standards-making,  and  the  growing  scarcity  of 
European  experts 
industrial  sectors,  demand  a  continuous 
improvement  in  the  effectiveness  and  efficiency  of  European  contributions  at 
international level.  

international 

in  some 

to 

International standards are part of an emerging international regulatory regime 
based on regulatory cooperation, convergence of standards and equivalence of 
rules.  This  approach,  which  is  emerging  as  a  result  of  sectoral  bilateral 
discussion  with  third  countries15,  should  be  further  developed  in  the  mutual 
interest  of  the  EU  and  its  partners,  including  developing  countries,  thus 
avoiding  the  risk  of  divergent  standards  and  rules  becoming  barriers  to 
spreading innovation, competition and trade. 

–  The  Commission  will  strengthen  its  efforts  through  multilateral  agreements  and 
through  bilateral  trade  and  regulatory  dialogues  to  promote  regulatory  models 
based on the reliance on voluntary standards, and to enhance the commitment of 
our trade partners to the development and use of international standards. 

–  The  Commission  encourages  the  stakeholders  of  European  standardisation  to 
strengthen  their  involvement  in  international  standardisation,  to  cooperate  in 
addressing the standardisation activities and policies of relevant regions, and in 
particular to strengthen the role of the ESOs in increasing the impact of European 
input to international standardisation. 

–  Building on the successful experience of the European standards expert in China, 
the  Commission  encourages  the  ESOs  to  make  proposals  for  improving  the 
visibility  of  European  standardisation  in  other  strategic  markets,  and  to  co-
operate with a view to setting up procedures for pro-active information exchanges 
on standardisation with relevant regions. 

(4)  Facilitate  the  inclusion  of  new  knowledge  in  standards,  in  particular  from 
publicly-funded  Research  and  Innovation  programmes  including  the  RTD16 
Community Framework Programme and CIP (Competitiveness and Innovation 
Framework  Programme).  While  only  a  limited  proportion  of  R&D  projects 
delivers  results  of  interest  for  standardisation,  their  systematic  identification 
and the facilitation of exchanges with the appropriate standards bodies have the 

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COM (2007)581 “‘The European Interest : succeeding in the age of globalisation’  
RTD: Research and Technological Development 

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potential  to  accelerate  the  application  of  new  knowledge  in  an  industrial  and 
commercial environment.  

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) already leads co- and pre-normative research 
life-sciences,  bio-  and  eco-
in  several  areas 
technologies.  These  activities  have  allowed  the  development  of  relevant 
standards,  including  measurement  standards,  and  of  innovative  products  and 
services. It is important to maintain and reinforce this effort. 

including  construction, 

Setting  up  a  powerful  European  metrology  with  common  standards  for 
measurement and testing is a field where the cooperation of Member States and 
the  Community  is  necessary.  In  this  respect,  the  setting  up  in  2007  of  the 
association  of  national  metrology  institutes  (Euramet  e.V.),  and  the  European 
Metrology  Research  Programme,  as  a  potential  EC  article169  initiative  under 
the 7th Research Framework Programme are important milestones. 

– 

Measures to be assessed by public research and innovation authorities 
include: 

– 

– 

– 

the  introduction  of  concrete  incentives  for  the  consideration  of 
standardisation  issues  in  the  activity  plans  of  public  research 
institutions and of co-funded RTD and innovation projects 

the  provision  of  training  in  standardisation  for  evaluators  and 
managers of RTD and innovation programmes 

systematic  action  to  link  standardisation-relevant  research 
projects  with  the  standardisation  community,  in  particular  in 
lead  markets,  Joint 
identified 
those  priority  areas 
Technology Initiatives (JTIs) and Technology Platform (ETPs) 

for 

Standards  organisations  are  encouraged  to  facilitate  the  research 
community’s access to published standards. 

The  ESOs  are  invited  to  develop  a  joint  proposal  for  setting  up 
technology watch activities and helpdesks with a focus on facilitating 
the  transfer  of  results  of  RTD  and  CIP  framework  programmes  to 
standardisation.  The  Commission  is  prepared  to  consider  financial 
support for such a proposal. 

– 

– 

(5)  Facilitate  the  access  to  standardisation  of  all  interested  stakeholders,  in 
particular SMEs, but also users/consumers and researchers. Standardisation is 
a  powerful  tool  for  the  dissemination  of  the  state  of  the  art  to  SMEs,  and 
through the participation of consumers, to facilitate the uptake of innovation by 
the  market.  However,  this  potential  is  often  not  realised  because  of  barriers 
such  as  the  complexity  of  the  language  of  the  standards,  the  time  required  to 
participate in standards-making, and the cost of the deliverables.  

The  EU  supports  SME  representation  in  standards-setting  at  European  level. 
Additionally,  the  funding  schemes  ‘Research  for  SMEs’  and  ‘Research  for 
SME associations’ of the 7th RTD Community Framework Programme (2007-

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2013),  as  well  as  several  mechanisms  developed  within  EU  Cohesion  Policy, 
enable  SMEs  and  their  associations  to  provide  input  into  the  standardisation 
process, but also to assist SMEs to comply with new standards. The following 
measures are proposed: 

–  The  Commission  will  substantially  increase  its  financial  support  to  European 
coordination  of  SME  representation  in  standardisation.  Within  the  planned 
proposal  for  a  Small  Business  Act,  the  Commission  will  introduce  provisions  to 
consolidate  the  commitment  of  the  Member  States  to  include  SMEs  in 
standardisation  at  national  level,  which  is  the  most  accessible  context  for  most 
SMEs. 

–  The  Commission  invites  the  standardisation  bodies  to  fully  acknowledge  the 
implications  of  the  ‘think  small  first’  principle,  in  particular  regarding  how  the 
standardisation  process  may  be  revised  in  order  to  improve  the  transparency  of 
standardisation  activities  and the cost-benefit  balance of participation for SMEs 
and  users.  The  Commission  encourages  the  ESOs  to  seek  a  fair  and  balanced 
representation of all stakeholders of standardisation. 

–  On  the  basis  of  existing  SME  associations  and  national  bodies,  SMEs  need  to 
organise themselves better to defend their interests in the standardisation process, 
with the institutional and financial support of public authorities. 

Regarding access to standards, the cost of purchasing standards is increasingly 
mentioned  by  SMEs  and  other  stakeholders  as  an  issue.  Some  standards 
organisations,  such  as  ETSI  and  ITU  for  all  their  deliverables,  and  CEN  and 
CENELEC for some of them, have decided to publish their standards for free, 
and  there  is  evidence  that  this  decision  has  multiplied  their  diffusion.  Other 
issues  relate  to  the  lack  of  standards  in  national  languages,  the  excessive 
number of cross-references between standards, and the difficulty in identifying 
the group of standards relevant for a product or process.  

–  The  Commission  invites  the  standards  organisations  to  systematically  publish 

abstracts of European Standards without access restriction. 

–  The  Commission  is  currently  carrying  out  a  study  on  access  to  European 
standardisation.  The  European  and  national  standards  bodies  are  invited  to 
address as a matter of priority the conditions of access to standardisation, and to 
reconsider,  in  close  cooperation  with  the  Member  States  and  the  Commission, 
their business model in order to reduce the cost of access to standards, with the 
ultimate  goal  of  providing  free  access  to  standards  developed  in  support  of  EU 
legislation and policy. 

(6)  EU  policy  needs  to  address  better  those  barriers  which  hinder  the  actual 
implementation  and  effective  use  of  standards,  such  as  their  lack  of 
visibility, their complexity, the uncertainty about conformity to the standard or 
the existence of competing standards.  

The Commission will strengthen its support to the coordination of the integration of 
standards in innovative products and business practices through the Europe Innova 
standardisation networks. 

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(7)  Both  intellectual  property  rights  (IPRs)  and  standardisation  encourage 
innovation  and  facilitate  the  dissemination  of  technology.  However,  as  they 
contribute to these common objectives by different means, due regard needs to 
be paid to the interrelation between IPR and standardisation.  

The  Commission  supports  the  view  that  standards  should  be  open  for  access 
and  implementation  by  everyone,  with  IPRs  relevant  to  the  standard  being 
taken  into  consideration  in  the  standardisation  process,  aiming  to  establish  a 
balance between the interests of the users of standards and the rights of owners 
of intellectual property. In the Guidelines for cooperation17 between the EC and 
EFTA  and  the  ESOs,  the  ESOs  have  committed  themselves  to  ensure  that 
standards,  including  any  IPRs  they  might  contain,  can  be  used  by  market 
operators  on  fair,  reasonable  and  non-discriminatory  conditions  (FRAND). 
However, standardisation stakeholders, including public authorities, have been 
confronted  with  issues  raised  by  the  interplay  of  IPRs  and  standards,  in 
particular in the ICT field. 

–  The  Commission  encourages  the  ESOs  to  continue  their  efforts  to  make  the 
FRAND  policy  effective  and  to  develop  mechanisms  to  prevent  abuses  of  the 
standard-setting process. 

–  The Commission will launch a fact-finding study to analyse the interplay of IPR 

and standards. 

(8)  A strong European standardisation system is a key asset for European industry, 
governments and citizens. The ESOs are the keystone of standardisation in 
Europe, and their ongoing reform processes deserve special attention. ETSI 
continues  to  implement  the  recommendations  of  its  2004  High  Level  Review 
Group,  and  CEN  and  CENELEC  are  now  starting  to  implement  the  first 
recommendations  of  the  FLES  exercise  (Future  Landscape  of  European 
Standardisation). These initiatives are timely. The ESOs and their members are 
of  course  responsible  for  addressing  most  of  the  points  set  out  above  in  their 
reform processes.  

17 

General  guidelines  for  the  co-operation  between  CEN,  CENELEC  and  ETSI  and  the  European 
Commission  and  the  European  Free  Trade  Association,  signed  on  28  March  2003.  OJEU  C  91  , 
16/04/2003 p. 7 

EN 

10 

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The  Commission  encourages  the  ESOs  to  pursue  and  be  ambitious  in  their  reform 
efforts, in particular to address the following points: 

(a)  Where appropriate, the involvement of stakeholders in the governance 
of formal standardisation at European level should be improved 

(b)  The current procedures for standards development need to be reviewed 
in order to further speed up the standard-setting process, to ensure a 
pro-active  setting  of  priorities  in  subjects  to  be  addressed  based  on 
industry and users needs, and to identify the type of deliverables to be 
developed.  The  Commission  invites  the  ESOs  and  the  NSBs  to 
systematically  give  priority 
for  new 
standardisation activities, avoiding potential delays due to preparatory 
work at national level 

the  European 

level 

to 

(c)  The convergence of technologies,  and the  application of  ICT to  many 
other  technical  fields  makes  necessary  the  cooperation  between 
standardisation  bodies  whose  competences  have  traditionally  been 
separated 
telecommunications,  and  other 
technologies.  The  Commission  invites  the  ESOs  to  set  up  common 
operational 
for 
standardisation in those areas where technologies converge  

into  electrotechnical, 

technical  bodies, 

structures, 

such  as 

joint 

(d)  The  European  identity  and  the  visibility  of  European  standardisation, 

both inside Europe and in the world, need to be reinforced 

(e)  The  Commission,  in  cooperation  with  the  Member  States,  will  follow 
up and encourage the reform process of the ESOs in the framework of 
its continuing dialogue with the ESOs and their stakeholders. 

(9)  The  focus  of  European  standardisation  has  to  change  in  accordance  with  the 
evolving  needs  of  the  European  economy  and  society,  and  with  the  dramatic 
changes  in  the  international  political  and  economic  environment.  While  the 
Commission  invites  all  standardisation  stakeholders  to  cooperate  in  the 
implementation of the measures proposed in this Communication, current and 
future  challenges  demand  an  in-depth  reflection  on  the  scope  and  the  role  of 
European standardisation in the emerging global context, including a possible 
need to update its current legal base. 

The Commission will set up a high level expert group to identify the future scope and 
role of European standardisation and to develop strategic recommendations for the 
coming decade. 

EN 

11 

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6. 

CONCLUSION AND FOLLOW-UP. 

The  Commission  expects  the  European  standardisation  bodies,  industry  and  all 
stakeholders  of  standardisation 
this 
to  consider 
Communication.  In  the  context  of  relevant  EU  initiatives  and  dialogues,  the 
Commission will discuss with Member States, industry, standards bodies, and other 
relevant  stakeholders  how  best 
this 
to  achieve 
Communication.  On  the  basis  of  these  discussions  the  rolling  Action  Plan  for 
European Standardisation18 will be updated. 

the  objectives  outlined 

the  measures  outlined 

in 

in 

18 

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/standards_policy/action_plan/index.htm 

EN 

12 

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FINANCIAL STATEMENT 

1. 

NAME OF THE PROPOSAL: 

Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and 
the  European  Economic  and  Social  Committee  "Towards  an  increased  contribution 
from standardisation to innovation in Europe" 

2. 

ABM / ABB FRAMEWORK 

Internal market for goods and sectoral policies 

2.1 
2.2  Competitiveness, industrial policy, innovation and enterpreneurship 

3. 

BUDGET LINES 

3.1. 

Budget  lines  (operational  lines  and  related  technical  and  administrative 
assistance lines (ex- B..A lines)) including headings: 

a) 

b) 

Standardisation 

02.03.04 
02.01.04.02  Standardisation,  Expenditure  on  administrative  management 
02.02.01 

CIP (ENTR) 

3.2. 

Duration of the action and of the financial impact: 

Permanent / no financial impact (no increase of budget resources needed) 

3.3. 

Budgetary characteristics: 

Type of expenditure 

New 

EFTA 
contribution 

Contributions 
from applicant 
countries 

Heading in 
financial 
perspective 

Diff19/20 

NO 

NO 

NO 

No 1a 

Budget 
line 

020304 

020201 

Non-comp 

Non-comp 

Diff/ 

NO 

YES 

02010402  Non-comp  Non-Diff 

NO 

NO 

YES 

NO 

No 1a 

No 1a 

19 Differentiated appropriations 
20 Non-differentiated appropriations hereafter referred to as NDA 

EN 

13 

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4. 

SUMMARY OF RESOURCES 

4.1. 

Financial Resources 

4.1.1. 

Summary of commitment appropriations (CA) and payment appropriations (PA) 

(The  actions  foreseen  by  the  Commission  communication  will  be  covered  by 
existing programmes, no variation in budgetary needs due to the introduction of 
the proposed measures is envisaged) 

EUR million (to 3 decimal places) 

Expenditure type 

Section 
no. 

2008 

2009 

2010 

2011 

2012 

2013 
and 
later 

Total 

Operational expenditure (020304 and 020201) 

CA 020201 

Commitment Appropriations 
(CA) 020304 

8.1. 

PA 020201 

Payment 
(PA) 020304 

Appropriations 

1,0 

2,65 

2,65 

2,65 

18,5 

20,5 

23,00 

24,00 

1,0 

2,65 

2,65 

2,65 

20,4 

20,5 

23,00 

24,00 

2,65 

24,5 

2,65 

24,5 

2,65 

24,5 

2,65 

24,5 

a 

b 

Administrative expenditure within reference amount21 (02010402) 

Technical  &  administrative 
assistance (NDA)020304 

8.2.4. 

c 

TOTAL REFERENCE AMOUNT 

0,3 

0,5 

0,5 

0,5 

0,5 

0,5 

Commitment 
Appropriations 

19,8 

23,65 

26,15 

27,15 

27,65 

27,65 

a+c 

Payment Appropriations 

b+c  21,7 

23,65 

26,15 

27,15 

27,65 

27,65 

Administrative expenditure not included in reference amount22 

Human 
associated 
(NDA) 

resources 

and 
expenditure 

8.2.5. 

d 

Administrative  costs,  other 
than  human  resources  and 
not 
associated 
included 
reference 
in 
amount (NDA) 

costs, 

8.2.6. 

e 

n.a. 

n.a. 

Total indicative financial cost of intervention 

21 Expenditure within article xx 01 04 of Title xx. 
22 Expenditure within chapter xx 01 other than articles xx 01 04 or xx 01 05. 

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14 

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TOTAL CA including cost 
of Human Resources 

TOTAL  PA  including  cost 
of Human Resources 

a+c
+d+
e 

b+c
+d+
e 

19,8 

23,65 

26,15 

27,15 

27,65 

27,65 

21,7 

23,65 

26,15 

27,15 

27,65 

27,65 

4.1.2.  Compatibility with Financial Programming 

(cid:59) 

Proposal is compatible with existing financial programming. 

4.1.3.  Financial impact on Revenue 

(cid:59) 

Proposal has no financial implications on revenue 

4.2. 

Human Resources FTE (including officials, temporary and external staff) – see 
detail under point 8.2.1. 

Annual requirements 

Year n 

n + 1 

n + 2 

n + 3 

n + 4 

n + 5 
and 
later 

Total  number  of  human 
resources 

n.a. 

The proposal has no implication on human resources 

5. 

CHARACTERISTICS AND OBJECTIVES 

5.1. 

Need to be met in the short or long term 

The Communication announces a number of actions for which a financing from the 
Community budget will be required : 

actions to be financed through the budget lines 020304 "Standardisation" and 

a) 
02010402 "Standardisation, Expenditure on administrative management." : 

setting  up  and  implementation  of  standardisation  programmes  in  support  of 
* 
sustainable industrial policy and of lead markets (sustainable construction, e-health, 
protective textiles, bio-based products, recycling, renewable energy, etc…) 

strengthening  of  the  visibility  of  European  standardisation,  in  particular  in 

* 
strategically important markets 

setting  up  by  the  European  standardisation  organisations  of  activities  of 

* 
technology watch and helpdesk 

b) 
action to be financed through the budget line 020201 - CIP (ENTR) : increase 
of  the  financial  support  to  European  co-ordination  of  SME  representatives  in 
standardisation.  An  amount  of  1mio€  has  been  earmarked  in  the  Commission's 
decision  of  10  December  2007  establishing  the  Entrepreneurship  and  Innovation 

EN 

15 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Work programme for 2008. For subsequent years this amount will need to be further 
increased up to 2,65 mio p.a. (indicative amount). 

The  aforementioned  actions  [a)  and  b)]  will  be  financed  on  the  basis  of  a 
reallocation of credit inside the aforementioned budget lines without any change 
in the existing multi-annual financial programming. 

5.2. 

Value-added  of  Community  involvement  and  coherence  of  the  proposal  with 
other financial instruments and possible synergy 

The  Community  co-financing  will  enable  the  standardisation  bodies  to  set  up 
necessary European standards within the required timeframe. 

The  co-financing  of  a  technology  watch  and  helpdesk  activity  will  allow  the 
instalment  and  maintenance  of  a  European  infrastructure  of  technology  watch 
available for standardisation and foster the taking up of results of research output by 
standardisation. 

The  increased  financial  support  for  SME  representation  will  improve  the  access  of 
European  SMEs  to  the  European  and  international  standardisation  activities  and 
therefore display synergies due to SME intermediates involvement at national level. 

5.3. 

Objectives, expected results and related indicators of the proposal in the context 
of the ABM framework 

The  aforementioned  actions  will  aim  at  promoting  the  setting  up  and  use  by 
stakeholders of international and European standards in key areas for innovation. The 
timely involvement of and input from European stakeholders, including SMEs, will 
improve the competitiveness of European industry. Indicators: execution of relevant 
standardisation programmes; publication of standards; uptake of new subjects within 
standardisation taking account of research output. 

5.4.  Method of Implementation (indicative) 

(cid:59)  Centralised Management 

(cid:59) 

directly by the Commission 

6. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

6.1.  Monitoring system 

6.2. 

Evaluation 

6.2.1.  Ex-ante evaluation 

Ex-ante  evaluations  of  funded  activities  will  be  carried  out  in  accordance  with  the 
financial rules for each action. 

EN 

16 

   EN 

 
6.2.2.  Measures  taken  following  an  intermediate/ex-post  evaluation  (lessons  learned  from 

similar experiences in the past) 

Not applicable 

6.2.3.  Terms and frequency of future evaluation 

Every  5  years  in  accordance  with  Article  6(2)  of  Decision  1673/2006/EC  of  the 
European Parliament and the Council of 24.10.2006 

7. 

ANTI-FRAUD MEASURES  

Application of Decision 1673/2006/EC, Article 7  

8. 

DETAILS OF RESOURCES 

8.1. 

Objectives of the proposal in terms of their financial cost 

n.a. 

8.2. 

Administrative Expenditure 

8.2.1.  Number and type of human resources 

Types of post 

Staff to be assigned to management of the action using existing and/or 
additional resources (number of posts/FTEs) 

Year n 

Year n+1  Year n+2  Year n+3  Year n+4  Year n+5 

Officials or 
temporary 
staff23 (XX 01 
01) 

A*/AD 

n.a. 

B*, 
C*/AST 

n.a. 

Staff  financed24  by  art. 
XX 01 02 

n.a. 

Other  staff25  financed by 
art. XX 01 04/05 

n.a. 

TOTAL 

8.2.2.  Description of tasks deriving from the action 

n.a. 

8.2.3. 

Sources of human resources (statutory) 

23 Cost of which is NOT covered by the reference amount 
24 Cost of which is NOT covered by the reference amount 
25 Cost of which is included within the reference amount 

EN 

17 

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8.2.4.  Other  Administrative  expenditure  included  in  reference  amount  (XX  01  04/05  – 

Expenditure on administrative management)) 

Budget line 

(number and heading) 

EUR million (to 3 decimal places) 

Year 
2008 

Year 
2009 

Year 
2010 

Year 
2011 

Year 
2012 

Year 
2013  

and 
later 

TOTAL 

Technical 

1 
and 
assistance (including related staff costs) 

administrative 

Executive agencies26 

Other 

technical 

and 

administrative 

assistance 

0,3 

0,5 

0,5 

0,5 

0,5 

0,5 

- intra muros  

- extra muros 

Total  Technical  and  administrative 
assistance 

8.2.5.  Financial cost of human resources and associated costs not included in the reference 

amount 

Type of human resources 

Year n 

Year n+1  Year n+2  Year n+3  Year n+4 

Year n+5 

and later 

EUR million (to 3 decimal places) 

Officials  and  temporary  staff 
(XX 01 01) 

n.a. 

Staff  financed  by  Art  XX  01 
02  (auxiliary,  END,  contract 
staff, etc.) 

n.a. 

(specify budget line) 

cost 

Total 
of  Human 
Resources  and  associated 
in  reference 
costs 
amount) 

(NOT 

n.a. 

26  Reference  should  be  made  to  the  specific  legislative  financial  statement  for  the  Executive  Agency(ies) 

concerned. 

EN 

18 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Calculation– Officials and Temporary agents 

n.a. 

Calculation – Staff financed under art. XX 01 02 

n.a. 

8.2.6. Other administrative expenditure not included in reference amount 

EUR million (to 3 decimal places)

Year 
n 

Year 
n+1 

Year 
n+2 

Year 
n+3 

Year 
n+4 

Year 
n+5 

and 
later 

TOTAL 

XX 01 02 11 01 – Missions 

XX 01 02 11 02 – Meetings & Conferences 

XX 01 02 11 03 – Committees27  

XX 01 02 11 04 – Studies & consultations 

XX 01 02 11 05 - Information systems 

n.a. 

n.a 

n.a 

n.a 

n.a 

2 

Total 

Other  Management 

n.a 

Expenditure (XX 01 02 11) 

3  Other 

expenditure 

administrative 
including reference to budget line) 

nature 

of 

an 
(specify 

expenditure, 
than  human  resources  and 
in 

Total  Administrative 
other 
associated  costs  (NOT 
reference amount) 

included 

n.a 

n.a 

Calculation - Other administrative expenditure not included in reference amount 

27 Specify the type of committee and the group to which it belongs. 

EN 

19 

   EN