The Smart Grid technology will prove essential in meeting the European Commission’s EU2020 objectives (cutting greenhouse gases and energy consumption by 20%, meeting 20% of the EU’s energy needs through renewable resources) (see here). Similarly, the PRC considers Smart Grids as being instrumental in substantially lowering energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions [1], as shown again in the recently promulgated Chinese Government’s12^th Five-Year Plan.

Read More…

As we near the end of the month and the Easter break, a lot has happened in the world of standards. Next week, we will post a monthly summary but for this week, here are the latest developments in Standards. Please feel free to leave any comments/suggestions in the comment section below.
Read More…

In October, Talkstandards.com hosted an open forum focused towards issues related to interoperability within European standardization and framed against the backdrop of the current EU activities. In addition to a series of expert keynote contributions (summarized below – please follow the links to access the articles in full) two exclusive interviews were conducted. The event can be found her: www.talkstandards.com/reforming-eu-standardization.

Read More…

On the 6th October 2010, the European Commission published a communication on the Innovation Union. In order to realise the Innovation Union, barriers to bring ideas to the market should be removed. Among various obstacles, it is pointed out that a “faster setting of interoperable standards” is needed. The EC announces for 2011 a “legislative proposal on standardisation, which will inter alia cover the ICT sector, in order to speed up and modernise standard-setting to enable interoperability and foster innovation in fast-moving global markets.” However, it remains rather unclear how this objective will be reached. The only concrete policy approach is the announced “programme to anticipate new standardisation needs and integration of standards into R&D projects in the research Framework Programme.”

Read More…

There is an ongoing debate in the European commission about the review of the European Standardisation System. As per the draft report on the future of European standardization, The European Commission is currently working on a “Standardisation Package”, which will include a legislative proposal aimed to revise the existing legal framework on European standardisation and an umbrella Communication which will set the standardisation policy for the next decade.

Read More…

The importance of standards in our developing industrial society is growing as technology moves into increasingly complex territories. This common ground helps to ensure that the assortment of technological possibilities is kept to a necessary minimum, whilst also establishing a widespread level of compatibility and quality.

Read More…

This exclusive interview with Malcolm Harbour, Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands, UK. and Chairman of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee, was conducted for Talkstandards.com via email during October 2010 in relation to the Open Forum “Reforming EU Standardization“.

Read More…

This EU standardization white paper is a weak attempt to focus on important issues. What is an ICT standard? Is a cell phone battery standard an ICT standard? Is a computer environmental disposal standard an ICT standard? Are the standards for telephone electronic components ICT standards? In fairness I do recognize this paper discusses standards that apply to the compatibility of computer or communications systems or equipment, less confusingly termed “compatibility” standards. The confused title is only preamble. Considering that the EU does not even have a reasonable (or widely accepted) definition of a technical standard proposing goals for a “quality” standard or “open” standard is meaningless.

Read More…

Standardisation of ICT solutions is an essential enabler for climate change. Whether it is for infrastructures supported by ICT (buildings, energy networks, logistics…) or ICT infrastructure itself (fixed and mobile networks, data centres, PC’s…and the various applications running on these…), interoperability of ICT products and services enable energy reduction in two ways: firstly by avoiding (or at least reducing) the need for development of interfaces between systems, which themselves require hardware to run, consuming unnecessary energy;
Read More…

Photo: Xavier Häpe

The World Standards Day 2009 conference ‘European Standardisation for the next decade’ organised by the European Commission was also used to publish the issue paper of the EXPRESS group. Several issues were up for debate by expert panels.
Read More…