Through a recent communication, “Towards an increased contribution from standardisation to innovation in Europe”, the European Commission expects standardisation to help a more efficient and effective use of ICT tools.
The European Commission calls for focusing EU standardisation policy in support of innovation and competitiveness. Every means should be taken to achieve this goal: to facilitate the inclusion of new knowledge in standards, to make effective the access to standardisation to all stakeholders, in particular to Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, to accelerate the uptake of standards by users, and to reform the infrastructure and procedures of European standardisation. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the impact of Europe in global standardisation.
In the ICT field, standardisation would serve the EU’s priority action of a better integration of ICT in industry and administrations. In this regard, a more effective capitalising of the knowledge basis is essential to realise the potential to improve the competitive position of the European economy. Standardisation is seen also as a key element for the success of the “lead market initiative” which aims to accelerate the emergence of innovative market areas such as eHealth, sustainable construction, recycling and renewable energy.
Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industry policy said: “The success of the European standardisation system in removing technical barriers to trade has played a vital role in ensuring the free movement of goods between Member States. A strong role for Europe in international standardisation means European leadership in new markets and gaining first-mover advantages in global markets".
