The European Commission has proposed a new EU standardization regulation intended to make European and harmonized standards faster to develop, easier to access and more representative of affected stakeholders. Adopted on 6 October 2026, the proposal would repeal and replace Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012, the legal framework for standards developed in support of EU legislation and policy. The Commission’s press release says the text will now be examined by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union before adoption and entry into force.
European standards help establish common technical expectations across the Single Market. Harmonized standards can help businesses demonstrate conformity with EU legislation while supporting safety, interoperability, legal certainty and market access. They are relevant to sectors including clean technologies, batteries, construction products, cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing.
The Commission’s evaluation found that the current framework struggles to meet market and policy needs, particularly on timeliness, inclusiveness and access. The official proposal overview notes that the environment has changed significantly since Regulation 1025/2012 was adopted in 2012, including through rapid technological development and evolving strategic priorities.
The Commission estimates that the measures could reduce the average time needed to develop a standard from six years to four. The draft would introduce clearer deadlines for standards requested by the Commission and clarify the use of common specifications as a targeted fallback. It would also permit greater use of external technical specifications, under defined conditions and safeguards, and allow interim deliverables to support conformity while full standards are being developed.
Where urgent or highly specialized technical work is needed, other standards-development organizations could contribute alongside the recognized European standardization organizations. The proposal would also codify recent European Court of Justice rulings by establishing dedicated repositories for free access to standards developed under EU law.
Participation and governance are another focus. European and national standardization bodies would face stronger obligations to support effective involvement by small and medium-sized enterprises, civil society, academia and public authorities, alongside new transparency and accountability requirements. The Commission also proposes an Expert Centre on European Standardization to improve strategic coordination and strengthen the EU’s voice in international standard-setting.
The proposed changes concern organizations that use standards to demonstrate conformity with EU legislation and to support requirements relating to safety, interoperability and market access. The EUR-Lex summary of the current EU standardization framework describes the roles of EU institutions, national bodies, industry and other stakeholders. The Commission identifies cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing among the sectors covered by the system, while the source report also refers to digital standards for artificial intelligence and machine-readable, interoperable “smart standards.”
The connected technical and regulatory topics include AI standardization, AI management systems, AI regulatory compliance, and product regulation for embedded AI. These areas cover AI risk management, governance, regulatory requirements, conformity assessment, product safety and cybersecurity.
If adopted, the proposed measures would change how standards are requested, developed, accessed and used within the EU framework. They include provisions on development times, free access to referenced standards, digitalization, stakeholder participation and fallback technical specifications. The proposal is not yet in force and must first be examined by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. The final text, entry-into-force date and any implementation measures will determine when the changes apply.