In July, Talkstandards.com hosted an open forum which covered current issues related to Transparency in EU Standardization. A number of expert contributors posted a series of articles which covered a broad range of issues related to the general theme of the event. These articles are summarized below. Please follow the links to access the articles in full.
Posts Tagged ‘white paper’
Summary of Open Forum: Transparency in EU Standardization
Friday, July 16th, 2010Modernising ICT Standardisation in the EU – The Way Forward
Thursday, July 15th, 2010
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.
Challenges of Globalisation and Informal Governance
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009The “Way Forward” White Paper notes that “without decisive action the EU risks becoming irrelevant in ICT standard setting which will take place almost entirely outside Europe and without regard to European needs,” and “it is indeed imperative to modernise the EU ICT standardisation policy and to fully exploit the potential of standard setting.” This comment argues that the EU should adopt the “ex ante due process criteria” and the “ex post viability criteria” listed in § 2.1 of the White Paper as EU policy as EU ICT standardisation policy. Recognition of ICT standards developed by fora and consortia with reference to these criteria is a necessary but not sufficient condition to achieving modernisation of EU ICT standardisation policy, however. In order to marshal the expertise necessary to determine whether individual standards meet the criteria, a new EU authority may be required. Such an EU authority could use the criteria to accredit fora and consortia; review applications to recognize ICT standards produced by fora and consortia and make recommendations to the Commission; maintain a database of accredited fora and consortia, and recognized fora and consortia standards; and support networks of local, regional and global private stakeholders, national regulatory bodies, EU institutions and multilateral organizations to provide input into and disseminate the results agency deliberations. Standards issues related to e-signatures are used as an example to show why such an approach is needed and how it might work.
EU White Paper on ICT standardization
Friday, September 4th, 2009Please visit http://www.talkstandards.com/?p=1387 and join the discussion.
Professor Knut Blind just published an interesting comment, which is available here http://www.talkstandards.com/?p=1561.
Join the discussion about the EU White Paper
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009Talkstandards.com held an online forum September 2 about the EU White Paper on ICT standardization. Seven brief notes were presented and the subsequent discussion has been lively.
Further comments and views are most welcome! Please visit http://www.talkstandards.com/?p=1387 and join the discussion.
Background information: http://www.talkstandards.com/?page_id=1373.
What role for EU in ICT standardization?
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009The Commission´s White Paper (“Modernising ICT Standardisation in the EU – The Way Forward”) articulates a number of sound and reasonable ideas. The discussion is based on the simple facts that ICT standardization is largely market-driven, global, innovation-based and informal.
Read More…
The EU White Paper – further clarification needed
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009The European Commission White Paper entitled “Modernising ICT Standardisation in the EU” focuses on four substantive issues:
1) Standards in Government Procurement
2) Standards and Public Sector Research
3) Standards and Intellectual Property Rights
4) The Role of Consortia, Fora and Open Source Communities
I will offer a few brief comments on the first, third and fourth topics:
Read More…
Comment by Dr Georg Heidenreich (Siemens AG Healthcare)
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009Statement regarding COM(2009)324
“Modernising ICT standardisation – The Way Forward”
By Siemens AG Healthcare, Dr. Georg Heidenreich, Manager Healthcare IT Standards
Modernising ICT Standardisation in the EU
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009Online Forum September 2, 2009
Introductory remarks. Comments welcome. Please join the discussion!
1. Anne-Layne Farrar: Welcome Goals but Unclear Aim
2. Tim Simcoe: Further Clarification Needed
3. Marcus Glader: A Competition Law Perspective
4. Mattias Ganslandt: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
5. Dr Georg Heidenreich, Statement regarding COM(2009)324
6. Jane Winn: E-signatures and procedures for recognizing private consensus standards
A competition law perspective
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009The Commission White Paper on ICT Standardisation – some reflections from a competition law perspective
As other commentators in this forum have already highlighted, the aim of the Commission’s white paper is to large extent unclear. Particularly the introduction and the listed “prominent areas for improvement” appear to reflect a mix of vague policy ambitions (p. 4). If Directive 98/34/EC should be read as constituting “the current EU standardisation policy”, as the Commission suggests (p. 2), the time for an update is probably quite ripe, but then these issues would have deserved a more elaborated treatment.