On 9 May, we celebrate the Schuman’s Declaration of 1950, which laid the foundation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), and ultimately brought to the creation of the European Union.
On this important occasion, today the 27 EU leaders are meeting in Sibiu, Romania, for an informal summit hosted by the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council. The objective of this meeting is to discuss the EU’s next strategic agenda for the period 2019-2024, and exchange views on the challenges and the priorities of the EU for the future. Two weeks from the European elections in 2019, this is a strategic moment, which will determine how the new European Parliament and Commission will meet the next big challenges facing Europe. The outcome of the discussion will consist of a common Declaration and of a final draft of the Strategic Agenda, to be released in June. The outline for this ‘Strategic Agenda 2019-2024’ on which the EU leaders are discussing can be found on the website of the EU Council.
CEN and CENELEC, in their role as two of the officially recognised European Standardization Organizations (ESOs), welcome the strategic priorities already identified in the Leaders’ Agenda and look forward to the result of this EU summit.
European standards have always played a key role in the implementation of the EU Single Market, making it easier and safer for citizens, companies and public institutions to buy and sell goods and services, to travel across borders and to find the same high level of service across Europe. For this reason, CEN and CENELEC believe that standards are crucial to the implementation of the future EU Strategic Agenda.
European Standards are strategic to help implement EU policies
The role of standards in the implementation of EU’s policy priorities has been highlighted in the CEN and CENELEC Declaration “Standards build trust”, which was officially launched on 9 April 2019. The Declaration underlines the role of standards to make Europe a competitive, smarter and more sustainable economy for the benefit of all its citizens.
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In particular, the following CEN and CENELEC’s activities fit with the priorities identified by the European Council and discussed by the EU leaders in Sibiu:
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Fighting fake news and misinformation through the recently established CEN/WS Journalism Trust Indicators;
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Tackling cyber threats through our work on cybersecurity;
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Developing and strengthening the EU Single Market through the development of harmonised standards implementing EU legislation;
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Promoting innovation and research by implementing our Strategic Innovation Plan;
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Fully embracing the digital transition, by developing trustworthy standards on new technologies such as AI and blockchain;
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Ensuring the energy transition and fostering an environmentally-friendly economic model, through – among others – ongoing work on circular economy and smart energy management;
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Contributing to increasing the role of Europe as a fundamental global economic player, by facilitating international trade and developing partnerships at the international level.
Through these, and many other activities, CEN and CENELEC are ready to help the next European Commission achieve the new EU strategic priorities for the period 2019-2024.
For more information, please contact Andreea Gulacsi.
