NEWS
Four new standards supporting the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) 2011/305 have recently been published, strengthening the regulatory framework for residential fuel-burning appliances. Developed by CEN technical committees, the standards were cited in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) on 9 February 2026, meaning they can now be used to demonstrate compliance with the CPR.
The recently published EN IEC 60601-2-57:2026 specifies essential safety and performance requirements for non-laser light source equipment used in medical and aesthetic applications. This European standard, which fully adopts the international text IEC 60601-2-57:2023, is set to formally enter into force at the beginning of 2026.
On 4 February 2026, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) and the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC ) signed an agreement to increase their alignment on key standardization topics. JISC will now become a CENELEC Companion Standardization Body (CSB).
On 24 November 2025, a high-level event in Brussels brought together policymakers, industry leaders, grid operators, standardization bodies, and researchers to examine how Europe’s electricity system can evolve from a focus on decarbonization alone towards long-term resilience, competitiveness, and security. Against the backdrop of rapid electrification and growing system stress, the event ‘Green Electricity Systems and Beyond: From Climate Goals to Systemic Resilience’ explored how, while the energy transition is advancing, it now faces a more complex and demanding phase.
A new CENELEC Workshop is being planned which will complement the intersecting activities of the EU Research projects 'OPENTUNITY' and 'FEDECOM'. OPENTUNITY focuses on opening up the electricity ecosystem to increase the efforts of decarbonisation, while FEDECOM focuses on the technical and business ecosystem to demonstrate the advantages of energy sector coupling.
The CENELEC Coordination Group (COG) on Offshore Wind was established as a central component of the EISMEA project "Offshore Wind Energy Standardization." Its primary objective is to develop a comprehensive roadmap to adapt existing wind energy standards to the specific needs of offshore wind technologies.
The event ‘Swappable Batteries: A Clean Revolution for European Urban Mobility?’ took place on 9 April in the European Parliament. Hosted and opened by MEP Pierfrancesco Maran (S&D) and organized by the Horizon Europe Stan4SWAP project, the event brought together diverse stakeholders to explore the future of swappable battery systems and the crucial role of standardization in supporting cleaner, more efficient urban mobility.
CENELEC published a new important standard for the railway community. EN 50388-2:2025 ‘Fixed installations and rolling stock for railway applications - Technical criteria for the coordination between electric traction power supply systems and rolling stock to achieve interoperability - Part 2: Stability and harmonics’ establishes the acceptance criteria, according to EN 50388-1:2022, for the compatibility between traction units and power supply for known phenomena and known technologies. The standard was developed by CLC/TC 9X ‘Electrical and electronic applications for railways’.
With the European elections approaching, the twin green and digital transitions open new opportunities for the European industry and citizens, in a quickly changing global scenario. But does Europe have what it takes? How can we make sure that it has the skills and the workforce to remain competitive in the global economy? And what is the role of standardization?
