ROLLING PLAN FOR ICT STANDARDISATION 2019 ICT Standardisation INTRODUCTION European Commission DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs Standards for Growth The Rolling Plan for ICT standardisation provides a unique The Commission has identified five priority domains1 —5G, bridge between EU policies and standardisation activities cloud, cybersecurity, big data and the internet of things in the field of information and communication technolo- (IoT) —where it considers ICT standardisation most urgent gies (ICT). This allows for increased convergence of stand- for the completion of the digital single market.. It has also ardisation makers’ efforts towards achieving EU policy identified a number of application domains that will bene- goals. This document is the result of an annual dialogue fit from standard setting in those horizontal technologies, involving a wide-range of interested parties as represent- in particular eHealth, intelligent transport systems, smart ed by the multi-stakeholder platform on ICT standardisa- energy and advanced manufacturing. The 2019 Rolling tion. The Rolling Plan focuses on actions that can support Plan continues to include actions to support the priorities EU policies and does not claim to be as complete as the indicated in the Communication. work programmes of the various standardisation bodies. The Rolling Plan is a living document. In the 2019 edition, Standardisation actions identified in this document to sup- four new chapters were added. “Artificial intelligence” port EU policies is complementary to other instruments, in and the “European Global Navigation Satellite System particular the Annual Union Work Programme (AUWP). The (EGNSS)” have been added to the “ Key enablers and se- Rolling Plan lists all areas where ICT standardisation could curity” chapter and “Water management Digitisation” and support EU policy objectives. It also details the require- “Single European Sky” to the “Sustainable growth” chapter. 2019 • ments for ICT standardisation, translates them into ac- tions and provides a follow-up mechanism for the actions. The Commission would like to thank all members of the multi-stakeholder platform on ICT Standardisation for their active collaboration and for making this document possible: The Rolling Plan 2019 identifies 170 actions grouped into the EU Member States, EFTA States, standards developing four thematic areas: key enablers and security, societal organisations (ETSI, CEN, CENELEC, ISO, IEEE, IEC, ITU, OMG, challenges, innovation for the single market and sustain- IETF/IAB, OASIS, ECMA, W3C/ERCIM, UN/CEFACT), industry able growth. associations (Business Europe, Cable Europe, Digitaleurope, ECIS, ETNO, EBU, EuroISPA, SBS, OFE, Orgalim) and stakehold- er associations (AGE, ANEC, ECOS, EDF, ETUC). 1 Communication on ICT Standardisation Priorities for the Digital Single Market, COM (2016) 176 final. ROLLING PLAN FOR ICT STANDARDISATION STANDARDISATION ICT FOR PLAN ROLLING 3 The Rolling Plan addresses technology areas in need of THE STRATEGIC ROLE ICT standards and explores the role that standards and technical specifications can play in achieving the policy OF STANDARDISATION objectives. It reaches out to both European Standardisa- tion Organisations (ESOs) -ETSI, CEN and CENELEC- and IN THE CONTEXT OF EU aforementioned global standard development bodies that POLICY MAKING can respond to the proposed actions and support the re- spective policy objectives with standardisation delivera- Standards2 play a critical role in supporting EU policies bles. The Commission publishes the Rolling Plan for ICT and legislation. The European standardisation system is Standardisation to consolidate the different ICT standard- governed by the Regulation on European standardisation3 isation needs and activities in support of EU policies into and implemented through the public-private-partnership a single document. with the European Standardisation Organisations (ESOs) and their members. Its uniqueness lies in the use of har- The Annual Union Work Programme (AUWP) for European monised standards. These standards become part of EU standardisation is another EU planning tool that is more law when referenced in the Official Journal and when high-level and not only focused on ICT. It is adopted by a used, provide manufacturers across the Single Market Commission Decision in accordance with Article 8 of the with a presumption of conformity with the requirements EU regulation 1025/2012 and “shall identify strategic pri- of harmonised EU legislation. Against this background, the orities for European standardisation, taking into account Commission issued a Communication in November 2018, Union long-term strategies for growth. It shall indicate the explaining the actions it had recently taken to further im- European standards and European standardisation de- prove the system. It also included specific actions that the liverables that the Commission intends to request from Commission will take in the immediate future to improve the European standardisation organisations in accordance the efficiency, transparency and legal certainty for those with Article 10”. involved in developing harmonised standards. To further promote ICT standardisation and develop action Innovation and technology adoption provide critical sup- plans to support a set of key EU priority areas for the dig- port to the EU to face the challenges posed by a global ital single market, the Commission adopted the Commu- market place, society and economies. EU policy making nication on ICT standardisation priorities4 in 2016 “to set relies on standards and technical specifications to reap out a comprehensive strategic and political approach to the benefits of broader, more interoperable markets and standardisation for priority ICT technologies that are crit- systems, and greater network effects. ICT technical speci- ical to the completion of the Digital Single Market”. Many fications ensure the interoperability of digital technologies actions in the Rolling Plan support the implementation of and form the cornerstone of an effective Digital Single the priorities of this Communication. Market. The European multi-stakeholder platform on ICT stand- ICT standardisation has dramatically changed over the ardisation (MSP) is a group of experts set-up by Commis- last decades. Alongside the traditional standardisation sion Decision 2011/C349/04 to advise the Commission 2019 • organisations, specialised and mostly global fora and con- on all matters related to ICT standardisation. The MSP is sortia have emerged as world-leading ICT standard de- composed of Member States and EFTA countries and all velopment bodies that are the developing the vast major- other relevant stakeholders, including standards develop- ity of standards for the internet, the World Wide Web and ing organisations, industry, SMEs and societal stakehold- more recently for cloud computing and blockchain. ers in the area of ICT standardisation. Its tasks include, among other things, providing advice on the content of the Rolling Plan and on the ICT technical specifications to be identified by the Commission for referencing in public procurement (Regulation EU 1025/2012, Art. 13 and 14). In addition there are a number of other Commission tech- 2 The term “standards” is used in this document in a generic way for all such deliverables from both recognised standards organisations and from nical advisory groups that are involved in standardisation standardisation fora and consortia – or the terms “standards and technical In a number of cases they come under sectorial regulation specifications” are used. Yet, whenever required in this document the terms ROLLING PLAN FOR ICT STANDARDISATION STANDARDISATION ICT FOR PLAN ROLLING are specified in a more detailed way drawing on the definitions given in the (e.g. energy, environment and transport). Regulation on European standardisation (1025/2012/EU). 3 Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the 4 Council of 25 October 2012 on European standardisation 4 COM(2016) 176 DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE With the emergence of new technologies and ICT do- OF THE ROLLING PLAN mains like artificial intelligence, big data, robotics, cloud computing and IoT, the importance of standardisation The Rolling Plan is a living document. It aims to cover as goes beyond interoperability required for completing the much as possible the broad range of standardisation activ- Digital Single Market. Given the fast pace of change in our ities, technical specifications and standards relevant for the world and its possible implications for our societies and respective policy objectives and topic areas, however it is not work force, EU policymaking aims to reap the maximum based on a systematic search. benefits from digital transformation, while protecting our European values from possible adverse effects. In some The Rolling Plan is a document that is reviewed each year instances, the availability of standards can become a pre- based on input from the Commission and advice from the condition for implementing policy or legislation. The safety MSP. In between two versions of the Rolling Plan, factual up- and security of ‘smart’‘ products, automated devices, and dates are provided as needed in the form of addenda to the IoT, together with the reliability and validity of artificial in- Rolling Plan. telligence, data and privacy protection, are all challenges that may require standards to be developed and used for The Rolling Plan is based