On 7 October 2016, CEN published on its website a draft standardization strategy to support the services sector (pdf format) with the aim of gathering comments from service stakeholders. The Consultation will be opened until 15 November 2015.

The number of European Standards in the area of services as well as the number of service sectors which find a strategic tool in standardization has increased in recent years. Nevertheless, their number remains small in comparison to the total number of European Standards and the economic importance the service sector holds in Europe.

The slow development of European Standards for services leads to missed opportunities for European service providers looking to offer their services across-borders. Service users from their side are also not able to benefit from a wider range of service offers.

A strategy for standardization supporting services

In order to help service providers and users benefit from the European Single Market, CEN is currently developing a strategy for standardization to support the services sector. The strategy is being developed in the context of the Joint Initiative on Standardisation (JIS) (pdf format) Action 12 ‘Encouraging the greater development and use of European service standards to help integrate Europe’s service markets’.

The main objectives of the strategy are to:

• Increase awareness about service standardization and further engage with service stakeholders in order to better understand their needs and show them how they can benefit from European standardization in this area.
• Define a series of criteria that could help to identify priority sectors with higher potential to benefit from standardization.
• Reflect on how the European Standardization system can better respond to the needs of the service stakeholders taking also into account the privileged relation with ISO to deliver international solutions when required.

The strategy also includes an action plan for 2017 and 2018.
The consultation will be opened until 15 November 2016. Send your comments by using the commenting form below.

• Draft strategy (pdf format)
• Commenting form (word format)

From products to services

CEN and CENELEC are organizing an event entitled ‘From products to services. The evolving role of standards’ on 26 October 2016. The input received during the event will be considered in the finalisation of the strategy.