The European Single Market is 25 years old this year! There is much to celebrate: for a quarter of a century, the European economy has enjoyed immense benefits from the free movement of goods, services, capital and people. Driving employment and growth across Europe, the advantages of the Single Market far exceed what we expected in 1993, when it first began. This is a time to reflect and project. SBS’ next “SMEs and Standardisation” event will look back at this historic turning point, but more importantly, it will look ahead, asking: What are the current and future market opportunities for SMEs, and how will standards affect or assist their access to these new markets?

The conference will start with a networking lunch at 12.00 noon. The programme of the conference will be mainly based on 2 points:

1. SME-compatible standards: A prerequisite for market access? Standards: they can open the doors to markets, but can they also close them? Are they the only way for smaller companies to access new markets? If there are no alternatives, should all standards be tested for SME compatibility, especially if they are intended to support EU policy? Does the alignment between EN and ISO standards need improving?
2. SME involvement in standardisation – Stories from around the world. SMEs often encounter difficulties when trying to enter markets, both non-EU wishing to trade in the EU and EU companies wishing to trade in other regions. To address this, efforts have been undertaken in the EU to encourage the development of SME compatible standards and more involvement of SMEs in the standardisation process. Have these measures been successful? What can we learn from other trade areas that are also encouraging SMEs to engage in standardisation

You can find here the registration form to join the conference!