ETSI position paper on the revision of EU standardisation regulation

In response to the European Commission’s June 2025 Call for Evidence regarding the revision of the EU Standardisation Regulation (1025/2012), ETSI published its Position Paper No. 3 on 17 July 2025. The paper reflects on the lessons learned over the past decade and offers targeted recommendations to enhance the efficiency and strategic alignment of the European Standardisation System (ESS).

ETSI supports the Commission’s dual objective of making standard-setting faster and more accessible while strengthening the EU’s role in global standards development. The institute emphasises that speed should not undermine the foundational principles of inclusiveness, transparency, and consensus-building. It argues for improved planning, earlier involvement in legislative drafting, and better coordination around Standardisation Requests (SReqs). ETSI also expresses concern over the proposed use of ‘Common Specifications’ outside the current ESO framework, warning this could fragment the system and reduce stakeholder engagement.

The position paper advocates for continued use of ETSI’s flexible deliverables, such as Technical Specifications, to ensure global competitiveness, especially in fast-moving domains like AI and cybersecurity. It also highlights ETSI’s commitment to open access—its standards are freely available online, and inclusivity through its direct participation model that facilitates SME and academic involvement. ETSI calls for increased funding to support stakeholder participation and expert pools and stresses the need for a stronger link between research output and standardisation. The paper concludes by reaffirming ETSI’s readiness to partner with the Commission and urges better use of its existing tools to preserve the EU’s leading position in digital standardisation