CAN YOU HELP US?POSTAL SERVICES We are seeking a Postal Services expert to
If you believe you could contribute to our work, please send a CV and letter of motivation (in English) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than 30 November 2022. For more information please click here http://bitly.ws/uP54.
TRAFFIC & MOBILITY We are also seeking a Traffic & Mobility expert to
If you believe you could contribute to our work, please send a CV and letter of motivation (in English) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than 30 November 2022. We offer a daily allowance for participation in meetings, as well as reimbursement of real costs where face-to-face participation is required (subject to the ANEC Guide on Reimbursement of Travel Expenses). For further details, please contact the ANEC Secretariat at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. as soon as possible. |
Horizontal
On 14 October, ANEC joined the global campaign to promote the theme, “Shared vision for a better world: Standards for SDGs” to which this year’s celebration of World Standards Day was dedicated.
Through a social media campaign, we focused on “How can standards contribute to building a sustainable and resilient world?”, focusing especially on our work to help achieve SDG 11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities” and SDG 13 “Climate action”.
Child Safety & Services
Standard for Trampoline Parks adopted
At the end of September, EN ISO 23659 ‘Sports and recreational facilities — Trampoline parks — Safety requirements’ was adopted by CEN members. EN ISO 23659 was developed by CEN/TC 136/WG17 (in parallel work with ISO), with much contribution from ANEC.
As we explained in our Newsletter ed.5 - 2022, although welcoming the progress made, ANEC was not in a position to support the final draft, because the requirement for ‘the supervisor to user ratio’ is inadequate with respect to child safety. However, as it is in the interest of all stakeholders that a European standard for trampoline parks is in place, ANEC did not take a formal position, but stressed the need for CEN/TC 136/WG17 to continue discussions and seek to improve the ratio in a revision of the standard.
The need for further improvement and revision of the document was reflected in the comments and voting results: 12 CEN members approved the document but 20 members abstained. We shall continue to follow the work of CEN/TC 136/WG17 and the discussion of the comments received during the Formal Vote.
Accessibility
On 26 October, ANEC Deputy Director-General Chiara Giovannini was delighted to give a presentation on the involvement of consumers and persons with disabilities in European and national standardisation, during a panel hosted by CEN/BT/WG 213 SAGA.
One of the priorities of SAGA is standardisation in support of the European Accessibility Act (EAA). Hence, among the many topics, our presentation focused on the EAA Standardisation Request, as well as how consumers can participate in standards development and influence a standard. We also addressed a strategy for participating in accessibility standardisation.
Sustainability
On 27 October, ANEC joined the #WeChooseReuse campaign (http://bit.ly/3E9hfrT).
The Package and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD) is about to be revised, and ANEC wants its revision to place more emphasis on waste prevention and to extend systematic reuse systems wherever possible, all at the expense of single-use packaging. Consumers' access to reuse systems must also be made easier for them to limit the use of single-use packaging and single-use consumer goods further.
The WeChooseReuse Campaign asks for take-back systems to be available to everyone, without the need for specific skills or tools.
The annual meeting of the ANEC Sustainability Working Group took place online on 28 and 29 September. The first day was a joint session with the ANEC Domestic Appliances (DOMAP) WG, discussing issues related to Eco-design, energy labelling, reparability and premature obsolescence of consumer products.
On the second day, ANEC Sustainability WG experts continued to discuss current and planned activities relating to chemicals in consumer products, the circular economy and sustainable construction as well as climate related standards. The new project Smartliving EPC (http://bitly.ws/vTsi), in which ANEC participates, was presented to the group and an update on Smart and Sustainable Transport was provided by our Traffic & Mobility WG.
PROMPT workshops with manufacturers
On 17 and 18 October the PROMPT project, in which ANEC participates, hosted an online workshop with industry representatives. The PROMPT consortium presented the draft testing programmes assessing the durability and repairability of washing machines, televisions, smartphones and vacuum cleaners.
PROMPT partners and national consumer organisations (OCU, STIWA, CB and TA) led the technical discussions and exchanges between manufacturers and PROMPT testing experts. We had more than 50 participants, including big players specialised in each of the products, with many expressing interest in further bilateral calls.
As the PROMPT project reaches its final phase, these workshops are important milestones in helping disseminate our findings to target audiences, including industry and standardisation experts. The reactions gathered will also help fine-tune PROMPT testing programmes. The PROMPT tests in development are currently being assessed by independent laboratories, and a final report on the methodology will be published by the end of the project in April 2023.
Ecodesign
ANEC-BEUC webinar on market surveillance
On 21 October, ANEC and BEUC hosted a webinar for our members and experts on Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Market Surveillance. The presenters were Chris Evans, Ecodesign Expert; Silvia Barlassina, ANEC-BEUC Ecodesign Project Coordinator, and Tania Vandenberghe, ANEC Senior Programme Manager.
The webinar addressed the enforcement activities of existing Energy Labelling and Ecodesign Regulations by market surveillance authorities (MSAs) in all the EU Member States, as well as highlighting challenges and new developments.
If correctly applied, Energy labelling and Ecodesign legislation can bring important benefits to the environment and consumers, not only in terms of energy savings but also savings in energy bills. They are key instruments in dealing with the challenges of the ongoing energy and cost-of-living crisis. However, they are of little value if not properly enforced.
Worryingly, it is estimated that non-compliance with existing Ecodesign requirements ranges from 40% to over 70%, depending on the product.
The webinar examined current market surveillance practices and discussed potential improvement noting the proposed Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which makes new proposals to further strengthen market surveillance. We also presented key findings from the Horizon2020 project EEPLIANT, a pan-EU market surveillance action to check compliance of several consumer product groups with legislation on energy efficiency. ANEC is a member of the EEPLIANT Advisory Board.
We concluded that improving market surveillance will save far more money than it costs, considering the substantial energy and financial savings that can be gained from the correct application of Ecodesign and Energy Labelling.
Digital Society
The 40th ANEC Digital Society WG meeting took place remotely on 11 and 13 October 2022.
The EU Standardisation Strategy and proposed amendment of Regulation (EU) 1025/2012 were discussed, as well as the 2022 Annual Union Work Programme and the 2022 Rolling Plan for ICT standardisation, and the future of the ICT Multi-Stakeholder Platform.
Among other topics, the meeting discussed Common chargers (through amendment of Radio Equipment Directive, 2014/53/EU); Smart and sustainable cities and communities; and eRecognition and Biometrics. Experts also considered the role of standards in trustworthy AI.
Last but not least, we were delighted to welcome Michela Vuerich, ANEC Programme Manager Sustainability & Services, who gave a presentation on Sustainability priorities linked to digital issues, such as obsolescence and software updates.
Services
The European Commission recently issued the European Care Strategy for caregivers and care receivers. The strategy establishes the groundwork for more affordable, accessible, and high-quality care services that help both receivers and providers of care. It advocates for improved long-term care, early childhood education and care, and social equality for (formal and informal) caregivers. The strategy clearly highlights the need for high quality standards, although not explicitly mentioning the development of technical standardisation.
You can find more information on the respective Commission webpage: http://bitly.ws/vTtB.
In the context of health promotion in an ageing population, ANEC sees an important and complementary role in the application of European standards for person-centred care, including both EN 17398:2020 ‘Patient involvement in health care. Minimum requirements for person-centred care’ and CEN/TS 17500:2021 ‘Quality of care and support for older persons’. ANEC contributed to both standards.
Traffic & Mobility
Draft regulation on CRS in buses
Although travelling by bus is considered one of the safest modes of transport, young children still face higher risk of serious injury in the event of an accident, often due to the absence of safe restraint systems.
In 2019, an informal group on Safer Transport of Children in Buses and Coaches was created by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), to address this issue and provide better protection to children travelling by bus.
ANEC has been participating in the work since its inception and has scored major successes in the consumer interest. Our aim is to promote a concept that is safe and easy to use, for both parents and children, which does not require parents to bring their own device. ANEC’s proposal to adopt built-in systems was favourably received and hence as a first step, a new regulation will focus on built-in child restraint systems (CRS), adapting R129 requirements to buses.
We have also advocated for instructions and relevant user information to be written on the product itself, in the language of the country in which the bus is registered. That way, parents will know how to properly fasten their child in the built-in seat, and do not need to go online to find the instructions. ANEC also contributed to group discussions on test specifications to make sure tests reflect real-life risks encountered by children.
The regulatory text is now under way and will be discussed at the next Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) meeting in December 2022, for formal adoption in May 2023.
| List of meetings 2022 |
For comments or if you wish to write an article for the ANEC Newsletter, please contact: Helena CLARK (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
