European Economic and Social Committee votes for inclusiveness

ECOS warmly welcomes the adoption by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) today of an Opinion on the 2016 Annual Union Work Programme for European standardisation.

Successfully put forth by Rapporteur Patrick Liébus, President of EBC, the Opinion focuses on inclusiveness, a key principle that should be implemented in the standardisation system. In a political context where standardisation is increasingly seen as a key instrument to strengthen the single market and better regulate it, it is crucial that the voices of all societal stakeholders are included. The Opinion was approved by the EESC with 147 votes; 141 in favour and 6 abstentions

ECOS Director Laura Degallaix concludes: “The EESC Opinion sets out a visionary picture of the European Standardisation System to ensure that it is able to effectively support political objectives. We applaud that the Opinion makes recommendations addressing all aspects of the system in need of improvements, from greater inclusiveness to public access to standards. We also strongly welcome the proposal to establish an ad hoc Forum allowing close monitoring of the progress on inclusiveness.”

Read the reactions of the Annex III organisations in the EBC-SBS press release here.