Inclusiveness of the European Standardization System
CEN and CENELEC, together with their national Members, are committed to supporting all interested stakeholders, such as organizations representing consumers, workers, and environmental interests, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to participate in standardization. Stakeholders are encouraged to engage with their national standardization organizations and, through them, take part in the European and international standardization system.
To reinforce the representativeness of societal stakeholders, CEN and CENELEC encourage their effective participation at the various stages of the development of European standards.
In line with CEN and CENELEC Guide 25, partnerships with stakeholder organizations are developed in view of their respective complementary roles and are respectful of the various levels at which such cooperation may take place, be it national or European.
In 2026, CEN and CENELEC will focus on strengthening these partnerships through a series of initiatives, such as the Health Check exercise. The aim is to expand engagement channels, enhance transparency, and provide tailored resources that support effective stakeholder participation. By refining existing collaboration frameworks and introducing new mechanisms for involvement, CEN and CENELEC are committed to building a more inclusive and responsive standardization environment that addresses the evolving needs of all European Partners.
Annex III
To complement the participation of SMEs and societal stakeholders at the national level and ensure that these stakeholder groups are represented in European standardization, Regulation 1025/2012 appointed the Annex III organizations to take part in standardization activities: the European Consumer Voice in Standardization (ANEC), the Environmental Coalition on Standards (ECOS), the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), and Small Business Standards (SBS). The active contribution of these organizations is valuable for European standardization, ensuring standards that respond to the needs of SMEs and societal stakeholders.
In 2026, CEN and CENELEC will undertake a series of actions to raise visibility on the role and rights of Annex III organizations and to support effective SME and societal stakeholder involvement in European standardization.
CEN and CENELEC have two dedicated high-level advisory bodies that will help define concrete activities, taking stock of lessons learned, identifying gaps, and exploring improvement opportunities. More specifically:
- The CEN and CENELEC Presidential Committee Advisory Body on SMEs (SME-WG) will continue implementing the items in its Action Plan, launched at the start of its new mandate in 2025. This Action Plan incorporates recommendations from the High-Level Forum Workstream 3 on national level inclusiveness, led by SBS and CEN and CENELEC. The initiatives in the Action Plan can be classified to activities to strengthen Annex III roles and rights, promotion of awareness raising activities, and ensuring better access to standardization activities.
- The CEN and CENELEC Presidential Committee Advisory Body on Societal Stakeholders (SSG) will continue implementing its Action Plan, launched at the start of its new mandate in 2025. This Action Plan reflects actions gathered from the High-Level Forum Workstream 5 on international inclusiveness, led by ECOS, and includes initiatives to reinforce Annex III roles and rights, raise awareness among societal stakeholders, and improve access to standardization activities.
In addition, CEN and CENELEC will continue several ongoing activities in 2026 to ensure the effective participation of Annex III organizations. These include:
- Ensuring timely appointment of Annex III experts in relevant technical bodies to contribute to technical work.
- Continuing the implementation and monitoring of the digitalized opinion mechanism introduced in 2025 for Annex III organizations.
- Collaborating annually with Annex III organizations on trainings, webinars, and events to promote their role, rights, and tools for SME- and societal-friendly standards.
Promoting Gender-Responsive Standardization
CEN and CENELEC believe that it is essential to include a gender-responsive approach to standard development processes.
Together with more than 20 National Standardization Organizations, CEN and CENELEC signed the UNECE Declaration for Gender Responsive Standards in 2019 and pledged to create and implement a Gender Action Plan to support more gender-balanced and inclusive standard development processes. At the European level, a second iteration of the CEN and CENELEC Gender Action Plan was approved in January 2023 for a period of 3 years (2023-2026).
In October 2025, the Board Standing Committee on Policy and Strategy (BSC P&S) approved the creation of a new Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (AC D&I). 2026 will be focused on the establishment of the AC D&I and its workplan for 2026-2028, to support CEN and CENELEC's commitment to inclusion as the standard practice, fully aligned with the CEN and CENELEC Strategy 2030 Goal 4.
Industry Advisory Forum
The Industry Advisory Forum (IAF) was established in 2018 to create a platform for industry representatives to contribute their perspectives to CEN and CENELEC’s standardization efforts. The IAF facilitates high-level dialogue, enabling industry leaders to advise on strategic standardization issues that are essential for the competitiveness of European industry.
In 2025, the IAF kicked off its third iteration (2025-2027), gathering 18 industry representatives in a new modality of working. To ensure close alignment with CEN and CENELEC strategic objectives, the IAF decided to work in shorter sprints to adapt to the ever-changing strategic repositioning.
In 2026, the IAF will focus on three new workstreams on the following topics:
1) Standards being developed by European agencies/bodies by using two cases from the electricity grid codes via ENTSO-E and ACER and cybersecurity certification developed through ENISA.
2) Dual-Use Standards where standards can be applied in both civilian and military settings, where there is paramount interest for the voice of industry.
3) Market Surveillance whereby the IAF will explore industry-led hybrid agile models of standard development for emerging domains.
Other Engagement Activities
In addition to structured governance and advisory mechanisms, CEN and CENELEC will continue to rely on ad-hoc events, workshops, and targeted training activities as key instruments to engage partners and stakeholders. These initiatives provide practical entry points into European standardization, foster dialogue and peer exchange, and help build lasting connections across the community. By strengthening the understanding of how the European Standardization System works in practice, such activities help support more informed, effective, and sustained stakeholder participation across all sectors.
