At the CEN CENELEC Annual General Meeting in Belgrade, European Commission officials and industry leaders emphasized that the EU’s standardization framework remains a critical driver for the Single Market and global interoperability. ETSI Director-General Luis Jorge Romero noted that while digitalization is a continuous process, European standards continue to set the global benchmark, provided the industry invests in R&D to maintain technological leadership. The discussion highlighted the necessity of cross-sector cooperation and renewed trust between policymakers and industry to prevent geographic fragmentation of standards-making. Ultimately, maintaining a unified global standards landscape is viewed as essential for Europe to maximize its digital ambitions and economic gains.
Keywords: interoperability, European Single Market, digital transition, standards harmonization, global competitiveness