MEPs presented only about 20 amendments to the report by Svenja Hahn (Renew Europe, Germany) on the decision-making process of the European standardisation organisations, according to the amendments made available on Monday 30 May.
Thus, according to the amendments published on Tuesday 24 May, there are two trends. A first trend is to broaden the number of actors involved in the standardisation process.
The shadow rapporteur Maria Grapini (S&D, Romania) recalls the impact of standards on society, social and environmental conditions.
For her, but also for the Greens/EFA, it is necessary to have an inclusive process that integrates all civil society actors, but also experts from SMEs and consumer representatives.
The Greens/EFA insist on environmental and social stakeholders, which, they recall in an amendment, are a cornerstone of the regulation on the standardisation process.
A second trend is to tighten up access to actors from third countries. For example, shadow rapporteur Malte Gallée (Greens/EFA, Germany) recalls that the positions of European stakeholders must be duly reflected in the decisions of European standardisation organisations and national standardisation bodies.
The participation of legal entities from third countries should not prevent the adoption of decisions on European standards and European standardisation products supported by the majority of all other stakeholders participating in the national standardisation bodies.
The far-right group Identity and Democracy also suggests restricting the participation of national entities from third countries. Whereas the European Commission proposed the presence of national standardisation bodies from the acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates to the Union, “among others”, the MEPs of the ID group want to limit access to the acceding countries only, stressing that they would be invited only as observers. They generally emphasise the role of the Member States’ representatives in this process.
Earlier this month, the rapporteur’s presentation had raised some concerns among MEPs, particularly with regard to her desire to maintain the participation of national standardisation bodies from non-European Economic Area (EEA) countries (see EUROPE 12954/26).
The vote in committee is scheduled for 12 July. The EU Council, for its part, took a lead and adopted its position on Friday 13 May (see EUROPE 12953/13). Negotiations are expected to start in the autumn, we were told.
To access Mrs Hahn’s report: https://aeur.eu/f/1v5
To read the amendments: https://aeur.eu/f/1v4 (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)