Standards are everywhere: from our smartphone chargers, the eco-design of our washing machines, the safety of our ovens, the security of our electronic devices and much more. Over the past decades, standards have contributed to making products placed on the EU market safer, more accessible and easier to use, more secure, more interoperable and more sustainable. In many cases, standards enable cost savings that benefit consumers, while also increasing consumer protection and welfare.

However, the European Standardisation System suffers from several shortcomings that can adversely affect the ambitions of standards, such as mitigating damage to the environment or the protection of consumers. The current European Standardisation System does not allow the views of civil society to be sufficiently heard in the process while tackling an ever-growing number of issues that sometimes hold key societal implications.

Additionally, as the current legislative work on the EU’s AI Act has shown, the borderline between what must be stipulated in EU legislation and what can be delegated to standardisation bodies is blurred. This situation is particularly problematic when standards are used to support EU legislation that aims to protect consumers, including their fundamental rights. The purpose of ANEC’s and BEUC’s joint recommendations is to create a system where no delegation of lawmaking takes place, and where societal stakeholders are not only present but can have an impact in shaping standards.