Defence and security

Our societies are increasingly being confronted with various kinds of security threats, including human-made threats such as terrorism and organized crime, natural disasters, pandemics and major technical accidents.

The ability of the responsible public authorities and emergency services to respond to such threats depends on having common terminology and procedures, compatible equipment and communication systems. Standardization can contribute to overcoming fragmentation in this field by increasing interoperability and compatibility of systems and products.

CEN and CENELEC are committed to strengthen the industrial and technological base of the security sector and to empower industry with the right tools to operate in a more open and competitive EU market. The European standards are a means to roll out security technologies to the market at a faster pace and to contribute to the well-functioning European security market, by helping the security industry to reach higher competitiveness levels and access global markets.

The security of information and communication systems (‘cybersecurity’) is an area of increasing concern both for public authorities (from local governments to international organizations) and for private companies (from micro-enterprises to large multinationals).

CEN-CENELEC/JTC 13 'Cybersecurity and data protection' sets out application guidelines for data protection and privacy for security technologies, systems and services.