Position paper: The Use of Standards in Legislation and Policies

In the James Elliott case in October 2016, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) shed some light on the legal nature of standards: standards are part of EU law. What are the implications of this ruling for the European standardisation system and the way policy-makers use standards to support legislation and policy? While the ruling has already had some minor implications, it is likely to have other impacts – direct or indirect – on the standardisation system in the longer term.