DG Environment and Climate Action learn more about standardisation

Over 25 European Commission’s officials from DG Environment and DG Climate Action took part in a training explaining the role of standards in policy, and how the standards development process works. Organised by CEN-CENELEC, the training provided a good opportunity to explore the pros and cons of commissioning standards to support the implementation of environmental laws. ECOS, who also attended, hopes this will be followed up by internal strategic discussions.

ECOS believes these trainings are needed to ensure that standards are used in the best effective way, without replacing policy, and that regulators keep the necessary control over the development process for the standards they have requested. We encourage the European Commission to develop its own long-term staff training programme, where the European standardisation organisations and key stakeholders can share their views.
Officials with a greater awareness of the role of standards and how they are developed will ultimately be able to make use of such key policy tools, without losing control over the political objectives they are meant to pursue.