SPEECH/06/599
Günter Verheugen
Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Enterprise and Industry European standardisation – a key for the success of SMEs, skilled crafts and trades
World Standards Day Brussels, 16 October 2006
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Honoured guests,
Today we celebrate the World Standard Day 2006! I am very pleased to use this occasion to focus on a particular - still somewhat neglected – aspect: the role of standardisation to foster the competitiveness of the backbone of the EU industry, the small and medium sized enterprises.
Big and small do not always contradict themselves, but can also complement each other. Let me take an example from the sports area: basketball. For a successful team you need taller players, who give solidity to the group and reach the basket and you need smaller players, who contribute with their speed and adaptability. Standardisation is also a team undertaking that concerns and needs to combine both, big players and smaller players. They can and have to work together for the sake of more open and flexible markets and for more innovation and competitiveness in Europe.
Cooperation between industry, standards users and public authorities has been the key to the completion of the Single Market for goods for the benefit of now 475 million consumers. European standardisation contributes to innovation. It allows diverse economic operators access to state of the art technical knowledge. It creates a level playing field for the market acceptance of new products. Standards are by nature the single most important instrument for the interoperability of products and services which our citizens value.
Co-regulation through standards is an excellent example of light and workable regulation. We already use this concept in a considerable number of areas including machinery, medical devices and telecommunications under the heading "New Approach". The 'New Approach’ covers goods which are exchanged every year for a value of approximately 1.5 billion Euro. Almost 20 000 European Standards have been elaborated in order to make this possible. These impressive figures show the real practical importance of standardisation.
But we need to do more and we can do more. The Commission is assessing the introduction of the concept of co-regulation through standardisation to other areas such as cosmetics, energy-using products, environmental protection and transport. We are also looking into the services area where standardisation may indeed play an important role in further integrating the European market for services without the need for new legislation.
Let me focus today on one specific issue, the role of SMEs in the standardisation process. I have to confess that I am not completely satisfied with the current situation. SMEs and craft industries do not benefit from standardisation as much as big companies. And all the more, I would dare to say that in many cases, SMEs even suffer because of standardisation. They may sometimes be simply overwhelmed by standards. When I listen to SMEs I often get the message that SMEs do not have the personnel, the time or the financial resources to engage in discussions in technical standardisation committees. They have to put all their efforts into keeping their business going. I also hear that the standards do not take into account of the specific needs of SMEs, that there are too many, too expensive, too complicated standards. In particular when standardisation is followed by certification, the resulting costs are often seen disproportionate for SMEs. The perception of being neglected by the standards process is even more acute among crafts and trades.
It would, however, be incorrect to draw only a negative picture. For many European SMEs - for instance in the domains of personal protective equipment, electrical equipment, or telecommunications - participation in standardisation is a strategic asset. It is access to the fantastic ideas which flow everyday in standardisation committees that allows these SMEs to be innovative in specialised areas. It is their anticipation and good knowledge of recognised standards that permits them to become market leaders not only in their home country, but across Europe and the whole world. These small companies are the success stories which can be the inspiration for other SMEs to achieve competitiveness through standardisation.
A handshake between standardisation and SMEs
Today I would like to encourage you to undertake an effort to bring standardisation and the needs of SMEs together. I suggest a handshake between standardisation and SMEs in Europe. Let me turn first to the standardisers. I would strongly encourage you to accommodate the business conditions of SMEs in the standardisation process. This requires a new way of thinking about how standards are conceived, produced and distributed and how this facilitates or hinders access by SMEs with limited resources. Rather than simply developing more standards, European industry will benefit from fewer but better standards.
I would like to mention two very concrete issues where I see room for improvement in the short-term:
The first is price. Price is often mentioned as a barrier to access to standards for SMEs. Some National Standards Bodies are already offering access to draft standards for free, and this initiative merits being followed by other bodies.
Secondly, and this goes without saying, I would like to plea for a more intensive use of the possibilities of our modern Information and Communication Technologies. Fewer expensive and time-consuming face-to-face meetings may allow more SMEs to participate effectively in standardisation efforts.
A handshake always involves two parties. I am now turning to the SMEs. They do also need to re-consider how participation in standards-making may help them to innovate and to grow. SMEs need to take account of the enormous intellectual capital available in technical committees, in the standards themselves. Your business can benefit from access to this wealth of knowledge. Time spent in standardisation may be a very good investment! Creativity and knowledge applied to the delivery of products and services is the recipe for competitiveness and success. SMEs need to share the flow of innovative ideas that finally crystallise into standards. They need to get involved now in the exchanges that will shape future markets.
Two parties shaking hands may sometimes need another helping hand to create a real pact. The Commission stands ready to provide an effective contribution to this new deal between SMEs and standardisation.
The Commission supports the European Standards Organisations by awarding them institutional recognition, visibility, and by contributing to their budget. I am encouraging every effort they make to strengthen their cooperation with SMEs and crafts. CENELEC, together with its national members and SME federations, has already launched an educational project aiming to improve SMEs' access to standardisation. The Commission is prepared to support this project and I am very much looking forward to the results and the implementation.
The Commission supports NORMAPME, the standardisation arm of European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises since its creation in 1996. This has allowed the presence of qualified technical experts who defend the interests of SMEs in the technical committees of the European Standards Organisations. Nevertheless, more needs to be done. Under the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme CIP (2007-2013) which is in the final adoption stage, the budget has been increased to enable for this support. We want to increase the number of experts representing SMEs and better coordinate national and European initiatives in this domain.
Another important issue is access to standards for SMEs in their own language. The Commission has been providing funding for the translations of European standards to the national languages for many years. The standards organisations may use this support in order to facilitate SME access to their standards. I encourage also national standards bodies to make a wider use of this programme.
I am now turning to a fourth partner whom I invite to join our pact for enhanced access and use of standards for SMEs: the Member States and more specifically the national standardisation communities. The national level is naturally more accessible to most SMEs than the European level. It plays a genuine role in the European standardisation system. It is, however, a fact that the degree of SME participation in national standardisation and the support received from Member States varies widely across the EU. The Commission´s study on “Best practices for the involvement of SMEs in standardisation” shows that Member States have a relatively low share of these good practices. The study reveals some useful practical experiences of educational and financial support at national level which have proven successful. The Commission has already taken up this issue with the Member States. I would like to invite colleagues to study carefully those results.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The European Commission has embarked on an ambitious comprehensive European project: Growth and Jobs. Measures to enhance the competitiveness of our economies are in the forefront of our strategy. Our success depends on a number of building blocks, a pro-active policy for SMEs, more innovation, a modern industrial policy, a functioning internal market and better regulation to name just a few. Standardisation may sometimes be perceived as a somewhat boring technical side issue. This is entirely wrong! I see standardisation as a crucial element of European strength and even more. I see it as a powerful and promising tool to enhance the European Union´s influence on the international scene. The Commission is fully committed to mobilising its energies and to pave the way for the use of European standards.
A successful team requires combined efforts be it in the sports or the business world. I therefore encourage you all to contribute to our pact for a new deal between SMEs and the standardisation process. It will enhance the influence of European standardisation not only inside Europe but on a worldwide scale and therefore contribute to our overarching goal of more growth and jobs.
Thank you very much for your attention. Let me wish you all a very successful conference.
