Who’s who

The key players in EU standardization are the European Commission, which requests standards, and the three European Standardization Organizations (ESOs); CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI, which develop them. Other significant players include National Standards Bodies (NSBs), which are members of the ESOs, and various stakeholders, such as industry and civil society, whose input is crucial to the process.

National standardisation bodies (NSBs) of EU and EFTA countries are responsible for developing European consensus
small and medium-sized enterprises’ representation is reinforced by the non-profit organisation, Small Business Standards
Consumer, trade union and environmental interests are represented by ANEC, ETUC and ECOS, who are important for accountability
Testing, certification and accreditation are crucial for EU standards as they ensure products meet EU safety, health, and environmental regulations, allowing them to be legally sold in the European market

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union (EU) that is responsible for proposing legislation, managing the EU’s budget, and implementing the policies and decisions of the EU. Composed of 27 commissioners, one from each member state, it acts in the common interest of the EU as a whole, not on behalf of individual member states. Its main functions include initiating EU laws, enforcing EU law, and representing the EU internationally.

The European Commission plays a strategic role in standards development by issuing mandates to European standardisation organisations, to create harmonised standards that support EU legislation. These standards, once published in the Official Journal of the European Union, provide a legal presumption of conformity with EU law. It also acts as a facilitator by funding research and innovation initiatives, promoting international standardisation coordination, and improving the governance of the European standardisation system to ensure inclusiveness and effectiveness.

EFTA (European Free Trade Association)

The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is an intergovernmental organization established in 1960 to promote free trade and economic integration among its member states. EFTA has four member countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland.

EFTA aligns with the EU on standards through a two-pillar system that ensures the EFTA states participating in the European Economic Area (EEA) have largely the same single market rules as EU members. All the EFTA countries participate in the European standardisation activities through their national standardisation bodies (Liechtenstein via the Swiss standardisation system).

Through the EFTA Secretariat and the EFTA Council, EFTA has supported standardisation work along with the European Commission since the Luxembourg Declaration was signed in 1984. The basis for this support has since been laid down in the General Guidelines for Co-operation between EFTA, the European Commission and the European Standardisation Organisations.

ESOs - The European Standardisation Organisations

The European Standardisation Organisations are officially recognised by Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 as providers of European standards. CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI have been working with the European Commission since 1984, when a cooperation agreement was signed. Revised in 2003, it lays down general guidelines for cooperation.

CEN (European Committee for Standardization)

CEN, the European Committee for Standardization is one of the key organizations responsible for developing and harmonizing standards across Europe, rresponsible for developing voluntary standards that help ensure safety, quality, and interoperability of products and services across Europe. Established in 1961, CEN covers a wide range of sectors including construction materials, consumer products, healthcare, environmental protection, packaging, services, and transportation.

Its standards—known as EN standards—support the functioning of the European Single Market by harmonizing technical requirements across member countries and helping manufacturers demonstrate compliance with EU legislation. CEN works closely with international bodies such as ISO to align global and European standards, reducing duplication and facilitating international trade. Through its harmonized standards, CEN plays a vital role in improving product safety, enhancing market efficiency, and promoting innovation throughout the European Union and the European Economic Area.

CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization)

CENELEC, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization, is one of Europe’s three recognized standardization organizations responsible for developing and maintaining electrotechnical standards. Established in 1973, CENELEC works to harmonize standards across 34 European countries, ensuring safety, interoperability, and efficiency in electrotechnical products and systems.

By creating European Standards (ENs), CENELEC supports EU legislation—such as the Low Voltage Directive and the EMC Directive—allowing manufacturers to demonstrate compliance and simplify the CE-marking process. CENELEC works closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) to align global and European standards, helping reduce trade barriers and promote innovation. Covering areas such as electrical safety, power systems, household appliances, renewable energy technologies, and smart grids, CENELEC plays a crucial role in enabling consistent quality, interoperability, and safety for electrotechnical products used throughout Europe.

ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute)

ETSI, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, is an independent, not-for-profit organization that develops globally applicable standards for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). While it is a European Standards Organization (ESO) that supports European regulation and legislation, its standards are used worldwide, and its membership includes over 900 organizations from more than 60 countries. ETSI standards are crucial for ensuring the interoperability and security of ICT products and services, with a history of developing foundational standards for mobile communications like GSM, 4G, and 5G.

ETSI develops standards, technical specifications, and guidelines for a wide range of technologies, including fixed, mobile, radio, broadcast, and internet technologies. As a European Standards Organization, ETSI produces Harmonised European Standards (ENs) that support EU regulations and policies. Despite its European roots, ETSI has a global perspective, and its standards are adopted and recognized worldwide. It collaborates with international partners to ensure its standards are globally applicable. ETSI standards are widely recognized and often adopted internationally, helping align European ICT technologies with global markets.

National Standardization Bodies (NSBs)

The national standardization bodies (NSBs) of EU and EFTA countries work through three European Standards Organizations. These organizations are officially recognized by the EU and EFTA to develop voluntary technical standards at the European level. The NSBs send national experts to these European organizations to represent their country’s interests.

These delegates represent their national standpoint, which is developed through national mirror committees that include various stakeholders like businesses, consumers, and public authorities.
This process ensures that standards are developed through consensus and reflect national interests.

SBS (Small Business Standards)

Small Business Standards (SBS) is a European non-profit association representing and defending Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in standardisation. Co-financed by the European Union and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), SBS advises and supports SMEs and SME organisations across Europe on how best to influence the standardisation process at the European and international levels. Moreover, it aims at raising the awareness of SMEs about the benefits of standards and at encouraging them to get involved in the standardisation process. It gives SMEs in Europe the strong voice they need when it comes to standardisation by ensuring their interests and needs are understood and safeguarded.

SBS speaks on behalf of 22,5 million SMEs across Europe through 22 SME member organisations.

SBS was established on 25 October 2013 to make the European standardisation system as inclusive, transparent and open as possible in line with the objectives of Regulation 1025/2012 on European Standardisation.

ANEC - The European Consumer Voice in Standardisation

ANEC is the European consumer voice in standardisation. ANEC represents the European consumer interest in the creation of technical standards, especially those developed to support the implementation of European laws and public policies.

ANEC also has an interest in the application of standards, including market surveillance and enforcement, accreditation and conformity assessment schemes. We also seek to influence the development or revision of European legislation related to products and services that is likely to affect the consumer, especially where reference is made to standards.

ANEC participates principally through its voluntary experts in the standards development work of the three European Standardisation Organisations (ESOs) recognised by the European Union and EFTA. In total, ANEC participates in more than 200 technical bodies of the European and international standards organisations.

ECOS (European Environmental Citizens Organization for Standardization)

ECOS, the Environmental Coalition on Standards, is a leading international NGO dedicated to advancing environmentally sustainable technical standards, policies, and laws. For over two decades, ECOS has been at the forefront of global efforts to address the pressing environmental challenges of our time, the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

ECOS drives change by providing the environmental voice and expertise to policymakers and industry players, aiming for strong environmental principles included and implemented in standards, policies and laws. ECOS work areas are broad – from clean transition to a circular economy or combating climate change – and strongly supports an inclusive, open and transparent standardisation system at national, regional and international level.

ETUC (European Trade Union Confederation)

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) speaks with a single voice on behalf of European workers to have a stronger say in EU decision-making. It plays a crucial role in standardization by advocating for workers’ interests, ensuring that standards promote high-quality working conditions, and preventing standards from undermining collective agreements or labor laws. It strengthens trade unions’ participation in both European and international standardization bodies to influence standards related to health and safety, product quality, and emerging areas like artificial intelligence.

ETICS (European Testing Inspection Certification System)

ETICS is the European Testing, Inspection and Certification System an international non-profit Organization, governed by the Belgian law. The purpose of ETICS is the administration of the ENEC Scheme and other Schemes such as the CCA, HAR, and LOVAG assessing third party conformity of products falling essentially within the electrotechnical sector but also in other fields which may be associated with testing, inspection and certification of products, processes and personnel.

Its main activity is to facilitate the access to the European market for products certified by independent third-party organisations, thus guaranteeing the safety and quality of products, processes and equipment for consumers.

TIC Council (Testing, Inspection, and Certification Council)

Born from the merger of former global TIC industry organisations IFIA and CEOC, TIC Council is an international non-profit association (AISBL) acting as the voice of the testing, inspection and certification industry. TIC Council brings together over 100 member companies and organisations active in more than 160 countries, spanning every continent, and speaking with one voice worldwide. TIC Council supports the development of international standards and regulations that protect consumers without hindering innovation or adding unnecessary burden on industry.

EUROLABS

EUROLAB is a not-for-profit organisation composed of 25 national associations all over Europe and beyond, grouping more than 3.000 conformity assessment bodies members, over 9.000 accredited laboratories and representing over 150.000 professionals. Representing the European conformity assessment sector regarding political and technical issues having a direct impact on the European Quality Infrastructure, while contributing to the safety of consumers, businesses competitiveness, to the sustainability of the internal market and harmonization of accreditation.

It acts and contributes whenever needed on key regulatory developments by providing adequate means for sharing of information, experience and technical expertise through the publication of Position Papers, Technical Reports, CookBooks, Seminars, and Technical Working Groups.

EURAMET (The European Association of National Metrology Institutes)

EURAMET is the Regional Metrology Organisation (RMO) of Europe. We coordinate the cooperation of National Metrology Institutes (NMI) and Designated Institutes (DIs) in Europe in fields such as research in metrology, traceability of measurements to the SI units, international recognition of national measurement standards and related Calibration and Measurement Capabilities (CMC). Through Knowledge Transfer and cooperation among our members EURAMET facilitates the development of the national metrology infrastructures.

WELMEC - The European Cooperation in Legal Metrology

WELMEC is a regional legal metrology organisation with membership composed of the representative national authorities responsible for legal metrology in the EU and EFTA countries.

WELMEC was originally created for cooperation, coinciding with the adoption of the first new approach metrology directive in Europe, the Non-automatic Weighing Instruments Directive (NAWID), on which the authorities had worked closely together.

The general task of WELMEC is for authorities to cooperate and to interact with stakeholders, in order to establish a common understanding which supports the implementation of European regulatory framework on metrology. From the outset, members shared a common drive for the free movement of measuring instruments by reducing barriers to trade for a wide range of instruments.

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