As part of a longstanding dialogue on transatlantic cooperation in standardization, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the European Standards Organizations (ESOs) - CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI - recently met at ANSI's Washington, DC, headquarters for collaborative discussions. A number of U.S. standards development organizations, ANSI members, and representatives of industry and government representatives joined the ESOs and European counterparts in the discussions.
A tradition for more than 25 years, these meetings provide an opportunity for ANSI and the ESOs to share perspectives and updates on changes on both sides of the Atlantic and identify opportunities to cooperate on mutual priorities and areas of common concern.
ANSI-ESO Dialogue: Recent Cooperation
At the last U.S.-EU meeting in Brussels in 2018, ANSI, CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI signed the Principles of Cooperation, an action that affirms the value of increased mutual understanding and transatlantic cooperation on global standardization issues. And in a recent collaborative effort, ANSI and the ESOs published two guidance documents to clarify the U.S. and European standardization systems. Published in 2019, the documents serve to enhance understanding and transparency between the groups.
"The U.S. and European Union have extensive, globally significant trade and investment ties: for this reason, ANSI and the U.S. standardization community are committed to working closely with our European counterparts to support balanced trade and shared priorities," said ANSI president and CEO Joe Bhatia during the March 2020 meeting. "Our ongoing dialogue can help better position the U.S. and Europe to meet the demands of changing technologies, changing priorities, and changing policies around the globe."
Among other key priorities for ANSI and the U.S. standardization community in 2020, Mr. Bhatia highlighted the review and update to the United States Standards Strategy (USSS), which guides how the U.S. develops standards and participates in international standardization. ANSI leads the update every five years, with input from a balanced group of stakeholders, to assure that the key framework document continues to meet the needs of diverse U.S. interests, and reflects current and upcoming technological advancements, industry growth areas, national and international priorities, and updates to relevant U.S. government policy.
Elena Santiago Cid, director general of CEN and CENELEC, said: "The ongoing dialogue with ANSI is a good demonstration of partnership with fellow standards organizations to promote cooperative EU-US standardization efforts, where appropriate, and enable global market access for European industry and stakeholders. The objective is to exchange information in the development of standards to bring benefits to all players in the EU and the U.S. committed to fair competition in the global economy."
Luis Jorge Romero Saro, director general of ETSI, added: "In our cooperation with ANSI we confirm our commitment to have technologies standardized at a global level. ETSI members are used to working closely with other standards bodies, be it in partnership like in 3GPP or oneM2M, or be it directly through ETSI technical groups, with the aim of helping all sectors overcome the technology challenges of our connected world."