ETSI supports transatlantic dialogue on developing standardization

ETSI Headquarters, Sophia Antipolis, France – 25 February 2010

Representatives of ETSI have participated in two meetings recently that explored the potential for enhancement of existing standardization systems on either side of the Atlantic. The meetings took place on 23 and 24 February in Madrid, Spain, at the invitation of AENOR, the Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification.

The first day consisted of a Joint Presidents' Group meeting of the three European Standards Organizations, CEN, CENELEC and ETSI, with their counterparts from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and representatives of US government and industry. Representatives from the European Commission (EC) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) attended the meeting for discussions on better regulation.

Joint Presidents' Group meetings are a regular feature of the constructive collaboration that exists between the standardization partners in Europe and the USA. High on the agenda at this meeting were the report of the Expert Panel for the Review of the European Standardization System (the 'EXPRESS Report', which examines how the existing European system can be enhanced to face the challenges of the coming decades), the Transatlantic Economic Council and security policy issues. Other topics discussed included a number of evolving technologies of common interest (including electric vehicles, smart meters and smart grids), all with an underlying emphasis on energy efficiency.

The second day consisted of a workshop that addressed matters of regulation and innovation from both the European and American perspectives. This workshop attracted over 160 delegates from the European and American standardization communities, as well as the EC, EFTA and industry representatives.

The European delegation included John Phillips, Chair of the ETSI General Assembly, and Walter Weigel, ETSI's Director-General, who said: 'Working in partnership has always been vital for ETSI. With our partners in Europe, the USA, and around the world, we have achieved many great global successes, notably in mobile communications. Industry and consumers have benefitted greatly. Innovation remains the key to success in the future, and our organizations need to intensify our efforts even further to support the entire lifecycle of development and production. I welcome the impetus offered by this dialogue and the continuing openness between standardization partners, as we have once again seen at this meeting.

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About ETSI
ETSI produces globally-applicable standards for Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), including fixed, mobile, radio, converged, aeronautical, broadcast and internet technologies and is officially recognized by the European Union as a European Standards Organization. ETSI is an independent, not-for-profit association whose 717 member companies and organizations, drawn from 62 countries across 5 continents worldwide, determine its work programme and participate directly in its work.
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