European Standardisation Reform - good analysis on critical issues

I would like to draw your attention to an article from Paul Meller published in the EuropeanVoice. Paul provides a very good overview and analysis of the current discussions and negotiations regarding the EU standardisation reform - focussing on the impact on ICT standards.

The text is also duplicated on the OpenForum Europe website. Definitely worth reading.

Just to give you an appetizer:

"The Commission wants to be able to recognise ICT standards from the likes of the W3C, with national governments, formal standards bodies and industry – forming what has been dubbed the European Multi-Stakeholder Platform – playing an advisory role only.

"National governments disagree. They want to have decision-making powers to approve or block standards from industry forums and consortia. By holding out for voting powers, national governments appear to have missed the point of recognising standards from industry fora and consortia. The idea is not to mandate the use of such standards in public procurements. It is simply to allow public authorities to refer to these standards in their calls for tender. If the Council of Ministers succeeds in securing voting power, as opposed to a simple advisory role for the platform, this will deter civil servants on the front line from using the very technologies that have spurred such extraordinary innovation in the private sector."

This is exactly why the new Regulation is so vital for ICT in Europe and why a smooth process to be established is important to ensure success - to the benefit of Europe.