2 Annual Work Programme for European
Standardisation in 2016
| Committee's assessment |
Politically important |
| Committee's decision | Not cleared from scrutiny; further information requested; drawn to the attention of the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee and Culture, Media and Sport Committee
|
| Document details | Commission Communication on the annual Union work programme for European standardisation for 2016
|
| Legal base | — |
| Department | Business, Innovation and Skills
|
| Document Numbers | (37452), 5186/16 + ADD 1, COM(15) 686
|
Summary and Committee's conclusions
2.1 Each year, the Commission must publish an annual work programme
that identifies EU strategic priorities for European standardisation
and the standards it will ask the European standardisation organisations
(ESOs) to develop in support of new or existing legislation and
policies. Standards are voluntary, market-led and developed on
the basis of consensus; businesses do not need to comply with
them, but adherence to such standards may demonstrate compliance
with existing or new legislation.
2.2 The Minister for Universities and Science at
the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Mr Joseph
Johnson) is broadly content with the strategic priorities set
out in the work programme for 2016, noting the importance of development
of standards in new and emerging technologies, the ICT and services
sectors, and to enhance the digital agenda. He also supports increased
transparency in the standardisation framework.
2.3 The Committee considers that transparency
and inclusiveness in the European standards setting process is
vital and should comply with wider better regulation principles
more generally.
2.4 We note that in 2015 the Minister's predecessor
(Mr David Willetts) underlined the importance of coordinating
the Commission's annual work programme on standardisation with
its ongoing work on regulatory fitness (REFIT) with a view to
improving the overall business environment. The Minister reiterates
this intent this year, but does not indicate what progress the
Government has made in integrating standardisation in the Better
Regulation framework since 2015. We ask him to do so.
2.5 We further note that the forthcoming 'Joint
Initiative on Standards Modernisation' (Joint Initiative), one
of the actions proposed in the Commission's Single Market Strategy
of October 2015, is expected to play an important role in modernising
the standards setting process and improving implementation of
the Regulation. We therefore ask the Minister for an initial assessment
of what is likely to be covered in the Joint Initiative (expected
later this year) and what impact, if any, it may have on this
year's and subsequent annual work programmes.
2.6 We hold this Communication under scrutiny
pending the information requested above, and draw it to the attention
of the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee and Culture,
Media and Sport Committee.
Full details of
the documents: Commission
Communication on The annual Union work programme for European
standardisation for 2016: (37452), 5186/16 + ADD 1, COM(15)
686.
Background
2.7 The Commission and the Government consider that
standardisation plays an important role in: creating a well-functioning
EU Single Market and a Digital Single Market, as standards can
boost market-based competition (for example by ensuring the interoperability
of complementary products and services) as well as support better
regulation; and in international trade and the opening-up of markets.
2.8 There are three European standardisation organisations
(ESOs): CEN (the European Committee for Standardisation); CENELEC
(the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation);
and ETSI (the European Telecommunications Standards Institute).
2.9 ESOs operate as independent organisations and
develop voluntary standards setting out technical or quality requirements
for certain products, production processes or services, often
at the request of industry, other interested parties (such as
consumer organisations) or national standards bodies (the British
Standards Institution). Standards are therefore based on voluntary
cooperation between industry, public authorities and other interested
parties and developed on the basis of consensus.
2.10 The Commission may ask the ESOs to develop a
harmonised standard which may be used by industry to demonstrate
compliance with product safety or other requirements set out in
EU legislation. As they are voluntary, businesses remain free
to use alternative solutions if they wish.
EUROPEAN STANDARDISATION LEGAL FRAMEWORK
2.11 The EU adopted Regulation (EU) No. 1025/2012
(the Regulation) in October 2012 (with effect from 1 January 2013),[9]
which was intended to update and simplify the European standardisation
system by making it more responsive to changes in the global economy,
reducing the time taken to develop new European standards, ensuring
that SMEs and other societal stakeholders are involved in the
standardisation process, and broadening the use of information
and communications technology (ICT) standards developed outside
the formal European or international standardisation system in
order to enhance interoperability.
2.12 The Regulation was eventually cleared by the
Committee, following assurances from the then Minister of State
for Universities and Science (Mr David Willetts) that the Government
had met its negotiating objectives, including that there would
be no diminution of Member States' influence in the European standardisation
process, and that the time taken to develop new European standards
would be reduced, without diminishing their quality and responsiveness
to changes in the global market.
THE 2016 ANNUAL WORK PROGRAMME
2.13 Article 8 of the Regulation requires the Commission
to adopt an annual work programme, which sets out the EU's strategic
priorities for European standardisation and the standards the
Commission will ask the European standardisation organisations
(ESOs) to develop in support of new or existing legislation and
policies.
2.14 The 2016 work programme:
· provides
an overview of the implementation of the Regulation, which references
the Commission's Joint Initiative on Standardisation (see below
for more detail);
· sets out specific
priority areas in which the Commission considers that European
standards are needed; and
· considers and
updates a number of topics considered in previous work programmes,
including the inclusiveness of standard setting, international
cooperation in standardisation, and the linkages between intellectual
property rights and standardisation.
SINGLE MARKET STRATEGY — JOINT INITIATIVE ON
MODERNISATION OF STANDARDS
2.15 One of the actions of the Single Market Strategy
of October 2015 is the 'modernisation of the standardisation system'.
The Commission is expected to propose a 'Joint Initiative on Standardisation'
between the Commission and the European standardisation community,
intended to help in the effective implementation of the Regulation,
in the first half of 2016.
The Minister's Explanatory Memorandum of 26 January
2016
2.16 The Minister supports the use of standards to
ensure the functioning of the internal market, enhance labour
productivity, and contribute to the Europe 2020 objectives for
jobs and growth.
2.17 He welcomes the 2016 annual work programme,
noting the importance of development of standards in new technologies,
the ICT and services sectors, and to enhance the digital agenda.
He considers that any changes to the intellectual property framework
would need to be examined further and tested with stakeholders.
2.18 The Minister stresses that the Department for
Business, Innovation and Skills will continue to consult other
relevant Government Departments and the Devolved Administrations
to ensure that standards are not introduced unnecessarily or impose
disproportionate burdens (particularly on SMEs), and to identify
particular areas in which the development of European standards
should be given greater prominence.
2.19 He also states that the Government supports
increased transparency in the standardisation framework and that
it will encourage the Commission to coordinate its annual work
programme with ongoing work on regulatory fitness (REFIT) (which
deals with legislation rather than standardisation), with a view
to improving the overall business environment.
2.20 The Minister also notes the consensus building
framework in standards setting:
"Standards requested as a result of the
work plan will be developed by the European Standards Organisations
in committees formed from national experts from each member state.
These represent a national position built from a consensus created
at the individual National Standards Bodies (BSI in the UK's case).
These national committees are formed of subject experts from a
very broad range of stakeholders — business (through trade
associations), consumers, government and others — to ensure
that a broad and convincing consensus is reached."
2.21 He finally considers that an impact assessment
of this Communication is not needed given the voluntary and market-led
nature of the standards setting process:,
"As the purpose of this Communication is
to set out the broad areas in which the European Standards Organisations
might be asked to develop standards, an Impact Assessment by the
Government is not needed. European standards are market-led and
voluntary in nature and it would therefore not be possible either
to identify or to quantify which standards might be mandated and
adopted by business. There is therefore no direct impact on business
of this proposal."
Previous Committee Reports
None.
9 Regulation on
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