Ensuring the effective functioning
of the internal market through standardisation
About
The EU Standardisation Strategy aims to ensure European leadership in global standards. It does this by making standardisation a driver of European competitiveness and resilience. The strategy also involves supporting the EU’s investments in the green and digital transitions, as well as embedding democratic values in technology applications.
Standardisation is crucial for ensuring interoperability, safety, and quality of products, services, and processes within the European Single Market. Support for standardisation is part of the Single Market programme, which is partially managed by EISMEA. The Agency supports standards development by funding and managing projects related to innovation and technological development. By doing so, EISMEA helps bridge the gap between research and standardisation. This ensures that new technologies and innovations adhere to high standards, and that European industries are environmentally responsible, technologically advanced, and consumer-focused. As a result, EISMEA’s support for standardisation helps establish equal conditions of competition and a level playing field for European businesses.
EISMEA also monitors the implementation for the development of standards in strategic areas, such as ecodesign and energy labelling, environment and sustainability, energy efficiency and management of the transition to a low-carbon economy, smart grids and meters, smart manufacturing, or personal protective equipment.
The Agency is currently funding the development of standards in emerging fields of global strategic importance such as quantum technology, cyber resilience, and artificial intelligence. These fields have the potential to transform the paradigm in technological capacities.
Moreover, the Agency supports projects aimed at translating harmonised European standards into Ukrainian, thus facilitating the integration of Ukraine into the Single Market. Therefore, EISMEA-funded actions contribute to supporting the strategic policy priorities set by the European Commission.
The Agency implements action grants in conjunction with:
- the European standardisation organisations (ESOs)
- CEN (European Committee for Standardization)
- CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization)
- ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute)
- European stakeholder organisations, representing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and societal stakeholders in standardisation activities (ANNEX III):
These organisations represent their respective stakeholders in the standardisation process at the European level. They provide expertise to national governments and the EU, particularly in developing standards that implement European legislation and public policies.
The management of these calls is delegated to EISMEA by the Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) of the European Commission.
More information: Standardisation policy - European Commission.