Commission publishes Annual Union Work Programme and calls specifically on SBS to act

The European Commission published its Annual Union Work Programme (AUWP) for European standardisation in 2019. This document, adopted a few days before the World Standards Day, for the first time calls specifically on Small Business Standards (SBS) to act.

SBS welcomes the independent review of the European standardisation system to be undertaken in 2019. This system has always been, and remains, crucial to the prosperity of SMEs, not only in Europe but also throughout the world.

The AUWP stresses the indispensable role of standards as instruments for the proper functioning of the EU Single Market. It highlights that standards enable manufacturers to manage the transition to low carbon energy resources, to engage in global value chains and add service supply to product standardisation. The AUWP also recognises that standardisation goes beyond the Single Market and serves to support a whole set of other EU policies. SBS wholeheartedly endorses these positions.

“SBS welcomes this AUWP and is pleased to be asked to provide examples of how SME participation in standardisation adds value and to demonstrate that SBS brings benefits at national level through its members in various Member States”, commented SBS Director Christel Davidson.

In response to the call to demonstrate the effectiveness of SME participation, SBS is developing two tools: the SME-compatibility test and the SME-relevance test to better focus its work, and will continue its current activities of supporting some 60 SME experts in standardisation, and its national initiatives such as the Train-the-Trainer programme.