Main News
New CEN standard: EN 17161:2019 on Accessibility
European Committee for Standardization (CEN) published a new standard EN 17161:2019 ‘Design for All - Accessibility following a Design for All approach in products, goods and services - Extending the range of users’. This European standard aims to help organizations align with a consistent approach to address accessibility for persons with disabilities. It specifies requirements that can enable an organisation to design, develop and provide products, goods and services that can be accessed, understood and used by the widest range of users including persons with disabilities.’
This standard is the result of the European Commission Standardization Request M/473 to include ‘Design For All’ in relevant standardization initiatives. The requirements set out in this standard are generic and are intended to be applicable to all relevant parts of all organizations, regardless of type, size or product(s), good(s) or service(s) provided.
EPO, CEN and CENELEC to cooperate on standards and patents
The European Patent Office (EPO), the European Committee of Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electro-technical Standardization (CENELEC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance the support they provide to industry and stakeholders in Europe and beyond in the field of standard-essential patents.
This is the first MoU between the organizations who will now work together to enhance knowledge about the relationship between standardization and patents. The purpose of this collaboration is to support inventors, innovators, researchers and industry on standard-essential patents (SEPs) in different areas of technology by promoting the dissemination of technical standards including relevant patented technologies. The agreement complements the established co-operation in this field between the EPO, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and the European Commission (EC).
New Intelligent transport rules adopted in Europe
The European Commission has adopted new rules stepping up the deployment of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) on Europe’s roads.
The new technology will allow vehicles to ‘talk' to each other, to the road infrastructure, and to other road users – for instance about dangerous situations, road works and the timing of traffic lights, making road transport safer, cleaner and more efficient. The new rules are in line with the proposals on clean mobility introduced by the Juncker Commission, are a further step for modernising the European mobility sector, preparing it for climate neutrality in the second half of the century and contributing to the EU's long-term goal of moving close to zero fatalities and serious injuries by 2050 ("Vision Zero").
ETSI offers a novel approach to standards education
ETSI has released a new set of classroom teaching materials on ICT standardization. A comprehensive textbook, “Understanding ICT Standardization: Principles and Practice”, together with an extensive slide pack have been developed with the support of the European Commission and the EFTA Secretariat.
Standardization has become a key business process in the ICT industry. Most standards professionals have acquired their technical knowledge through education, training and life-long learning. But it is unlikely they received much formal education or training in standardization. Generally, third-level students in science and engineering courses have limited exposure to the world of standards, beyond studying or working with specific technical specifications.
The new materials from ETSI will help remedy this situation. They follow a modular design to enable students to focus on the aspects which most concern them. Topics covered include:
- Standardization basics
- The standards ecosystem
- The production of standards
- Standardization and innovation
- Standardization and strategy
- A business perspective: Standardization and intellectual property rights (IPR)
- The economic benefits of standards