Evaluation of the functioning of Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on European standardisation with regard to the new developments and challenges facing European standardisation
Date: 2023-09-01
Institutions: Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, European Commission
Subjects: single market



IMMC.Ares%282023%295955298.ENG.xhtml.PART-2023-655341V1.docx











CALL FOR EVIDENCE 


FOR AN EVALUATION / FITNESS CHECK 











Title of the evaluation




European standardisation – evaluation






Lead DG – responsible unit 




DG GROW H 3






Indicative timetable 


(planned start date and completion date)




Q2-2023 – Q3 2024






Additional information




https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/single-market/european-standards/standardisation-policy_en






This document is for information purposes only. It does not prejudge the final decision of the Commission on whether this initiative will be pursued or on its final content. All elements of the initiative described by the document, including its timing, are subject to change.







A. Political context, purpose and scope of the evaluation






Political context 






The nature of technical standardisation has changed at national, European and global level in the last decade. The Commission’s 2022 standardisation strategy set out the challenges and a set of actions for European standardisation to support EU policy and legislation.


As required by Article 24(3) of Regulation 1025/2012, the Commission has presented 2 multiannual reports on the implementation of the Regulation to the European Parliament and the EU Council. They covered the periods from 2013 to 2015 and from 2016 to 2020. The reports were supported by 2 studies from a contractor, one in 2015 and one in 2020, which aim to provide objective data.


Against this background, the standardisation strategy announced that the Regulation will be evaluated to assess whether it is still fit for purpose more than 10 years after its application. The Regulation provides the legal framework regarding the relationship between the European Commission, EU countries and the European Parliament with the European Standardisation Organisations (ESOs), and puts in place the criteria and conditions for the functioning of the European standardisation system (ESS). This includes in particular the possibility for the Commission to request the drafting of European standards and European standardisation deliverables in support of EU policies and legislation. 


The evaluation is a deliverable of the 2022 standardisation strategy. Against the background of that strategy, its objective is to assess the ESS’ capability to deliver standards, in a timely manner, that will (i) support a green, digital and resilient EU single market and (ii) be of global relevance. 






Purpose and scope 






The Commission will assess the overall implementation and impacts of Regulation (EU) 1025/2012, looking at its effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, relevance and EU-added value, all in view of the Regulation’s objectives:


(I)to regulate the relationship between the EU institutions and private stakeholders (ESOs/industry/small businesses/civil society organisations)


(II)to deliver standards in support of EU policies and legislation


(III)to contribute to the EU’s global role. 


The general aim - to ensure that the ESS is capable of delivering standards in support of a green, digital and resilient single market - will be considered when making the assessment.


The evaluation will cover all the provisions of the Regulation, spanning the entire period since it entered into force, focusing on:


• Development, innovation and harmonisation. Having in mind rapid technological change and global competition, the European standardisation process must be able to respond promptly to standardisation policy / legislative needs. By fully reflecting society’s needs and innovation trends in standards, the standards will improve the global competitiveness of European companies. Rapid harmonisation of standards across the EU single market is important to allow for presumption of conformity of products with the requirements of EU legislation. 


• Integrity. The Regulation will ensure that standards-development process in the EU is inclusive, transparent, participatory and non-discriminatory. The participation of all stakeholders in society must be guaranteed across the ESS. This includes the requirement for all parties to follow good governance principles, taking into account Regulation (EU) 2022/2480, and the need for diverse stakeholder participation, to have harmonised standards that are relevant to society and the single market. Alignment with international standards is also desirable, to remove possible technical barriers to trade.


• Financing. EU financing for European standardisation is assessed on the basis of a cost/benefit analysis. 






B. Better regulation






Consultation strategy






Objective


The evaluation will draw on the views and experiences of the general public and relevant stakeholders, in order to collect relevant data and information on the effectiveness and efficiency of the Regulation, as well as the EU added value and possible room for improvement, in support of a green, digital and resilient single market.


Identification of stakeholders


The following categories of stakeholders will be consulted: 1) EU/EEA member countries, (2) European standardisation organisations, (3) national standardisation bodies in the EU, (4) small businesses and stakeholder representatives (Annex III), (5) industry/industry associations, (6) international standardisation organisations, (7) key global trading partners, (8) consumer/user organisations, (9) NGOs, (10) academia.


Envisaged consultation activities


The main consultation activities will take place in Q3-Q4 2023. The Commission envisages the following consultation activities in addition to this call for evidence:


·a 12-week online public consultation (questionnaire), published on the Commission’s “Have your say” portal. This consultation aims to gather general evidence for the evaluation. All information related to this evaluation, including a summary of the consultation activities, will be published online.


·an online targeted survey to collect quantitative and qualitative data from the different categories of stakeholders listed above


·interviews to gather information on the evaluation questions 


·a validation workshop with the main actors involved in the evaluation. 






Why we are consulting? 






The aim of this public consultation is to collect information on the functioning of Regulation (EU) 1025/2012. 


We need to determine whether the legislation is still fit for purpose as the basis for the European standardisation system. Consulting the stakeholders will provide valuable information as a basis for this evaluation.






Target audience






All key parties and relevant stakeholders will be consulted. They are important for identifying any shortcomings in the existing legislation and developing the future European standardisation system. 


The envisaged consultation will also reflect the public-private partnership between the Commission and the European standardisation bodies. Market participants and stakeholders in particular will be asked to provide their expertise. 


In particular, the following categories of stakeholders will be consulted: 


1.Governments in EU/EEA countries


2.European standardisation organisations


3.National standardisation bodies in the EU/EEA


4.Small businesses and stakeholder representatives (Annex III)


5.Industry/industry associations


6.International standardisation organisations


7.Global trading partners


8.Consumer/user organisations


9.NGOs


10.academia.






Data collection and methodology






Questions/issues to consider


The Commission will conduct a study to inform its evaluation of the Regulation.


The study will take into account existing studies, articles and other input from academia where available. 


It will also gather relevant up-to-date data from EU countries that is not yet available via existing studies and public sources, in particular statistical material and data on any implementation, access or governance challenges.


Information from all these sources will be complemented by the feedback from the various consultation activities outlined above.


The methodology used for analysis will combine quantitative elements, including the calculation of indicators and indices as well as descriptive and inferential statistics, with qualitative ones, such as case studies and interpretation of texts and statements.