Commission proposes allowing some EU standards to be set outside the bloc
The European Commission wants some standards to be set outside the EU to speed up work in fast-moving sectors, but member states would have to agree.
What has changed? · 07/10/2026, 04:43 UTC
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The European Commission has proposed allowing standards for European products and services to be set outside the EU in exceptional cases, according to an ANP report published on Tuesday. The change would apply to certain sectors, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and batteries, where the Commission says standards need to be developed more quickly. Member states would have to agree before the exception could be used. [1]
Three official organisations within the EU can currently set these standards, ANP reports. They are technical specifications, not automatically legal requirements, but an EU standard can make a product or service easier to trade across the single market. The Commission expects its proposed change could reduce the average wait for a standard from six years to four. [1]
The Commission says quicker standard-setting could help new products and services reach the market sooner. It expects small and medium-sized businesses in particular to benefit, because they often depend on standards to expand across the EU market. [1]
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