Read time: 3 mins
The OFE Lounge series, organised within the framework of the EU-funded project StandICT2029, provides a platform for dialogue between the open source and standardisation communities, fostering mutual understanding and collaboration in support of Europe’s digital policy objectives. This year, the Series took place between 6 and 27 May featuring a total of 12 speakers. It focused on the upcoming reform of Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 governing the European standardisation system (ESS). The sessions are held under Chatham House Rule to facilitate an open discussion. A short summary of the sessions follows.
Session 1 – Reforming Regulation 1025: Agility, Inclusiveness and Governance
A key gap exists in IT standardisation. Unlike manufacturing or electrotechnology, there is no clearly established setup for IT topics.
The revision of 1025/2012 is perceived as a unique opportunity to redefine how European standardisation works, with a chance to set a reference point globally and respond to changing stakeholder needs.
A "standardisation hub" concept was discussed, covering standards creation, management, and collaboration with other standards-developing organisations. Such a hub would contribute to avoiding duplication and competition between bodies.
Session 2 – Software and the New Legislative Framework (NLF): Aligning Regulation with Reality
Software is fundamentally different from other industries: it cuts across every sector, there is no clear supply chain, and the knowledge itself is the product.
Traditional IP mechanisms do not map well onto software standardisation.
Category and definition frameworks for products under the New Legislative Acts are either absent or not fit for purpose for software.
There is a resource and incentive problem: experts contributing to standards processes receive little in return, which discourages participation.
Session 3 - Publicly available specifications (PAS), the way to a faster standard-drafting process?
Two main approaches can be considered to make the ESS more fit for purpose when it comes to IT standardisation: the option to recognise another standard body dedicated to IT standardisation, or the creation of a European PAS process.
The current system presents an inherent risk of duplication and confusion if standards selected by the Commission and those undergoing public enquiry run in parallel without coordination.
A PAS process is not about shortcuts, but rather about converting specifications into standards quickly and without sacrificing quality. No such process currently exists at EU level.
Session 4 – The potential of open standards: shaping the EU’s approach to AI, data sharing and digital infrastructure, and promoting sovereignty
The definition of "open standard" has shifted over time, and there is a push for any digital standard to follow a royalty-free IP track.
Software needs a distinct form of stakeholder representation in the standardisation system.
Open source has been a central driver of innovation and needs to be formally integrated into how standards are made.
The underlying goal of the revision of 1025/2012 is European competitiveness and sovereignty, both in software and in products.
A call to industry stakeholders to actively push for IT-specific processes was formulated, as change will not happen without that pressure.
