European Standardisation

On the occasion of today's vote on the future of European standardisation in the Industry Committee of the European Parliament, the Rapporteur Reinhard Bütikofer(Germany), Vice-Chair of the Greens/European Free Alliance and spokesperson on industrial policy, declares:

"With today's vote the European Parliament is giving a clear political signal to the European Commission that it wants to ensure a balanced participation of stakeholders in the European standardisation system. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as societal stakeholders such as consumer, environmental and trade union organisations need a greater say in the standard-setting process. An improved voting system in addition to more secure and long-term financing should make this possible. After intensive negotiations, especially over these controversial points, cross-party compromises could nevertheless be found. To ensure this also happens within standardisation itself, a fast-track conflict-resolution mechanism should be developed in order to efficiently resolve disagreements in the setting of standards so that the system continues to operate smoothly."