On 18 March, Isabelle Schömann, ETUC’s Confederal Secretary in charge of standardization, was invited to speak at the EESC expert hearing on “The role of standards for the twin transition and the competitiveness of the EU”, to provide the trade unions’ perspective on the recently published new European Strategy on Standardization.
Ms. Schömann highlighted in her intervention that standards are increasingly used today to underpin policy goals that fall in the wider public interest. Considering the digital and green transitions the EU is aiming to deliver, it is essential that European standards incorporate core EU democratic values, together with green and social principles.
The ETUC welcomes that the Standardization Strategy recognises the strategic importance of standards, and the need to reduce the influence of non-European interests on the decision-making process, especially as regards to standards supporting EU legislation and policies. Moreover, a multistakeholder approach is essential to guarantee that standards actually meet the EU’s policy goals and reflect its interests, values and principles. With that objective, the ETUC calls for a more balanced representation of interests within the national standardization bodies and has long called for improved access conditions for trade unions. National delegations from the European standardization bodies cannot only represent industrial interests if the standards are going to be used to show compliance with rules imposed in the interest of civil society. The European standardization system must deliver for all.
For more information, please contact Natalia GIORGI.
