.. to coordinate the standardization activities in the field of Information and Communications Technologies

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Information Society Standardization System (ISSS)

http://www.cen.eu/isss

CEN is the “European Standards Committee”, a formally recognized European Standards Organization with currently 30 members (EU and EFTA), affiliates and associates.  In the ICT domain, CEN has established the concept of CEN/ISSS which provides market players with a comprehensive and integrated range of standardization-oriented services and products, in order to contribute to the success of the Information Society in Europe.

Created by CEN to meet market demand in Europe for a middle way between formal and informal standardization, CEN/ISSS offers an alternative that is closer to the workings of the commercial environment. It draws on the best of both worlds, bridging the gap between the rapid process of informal specification and the security offered by the formal open consensus of traditional standardization.  The technical work is carried out in a number of different types of Group.  Typical CEN/ISSS activities concern applications of ICT for Europe, particularly the “e” applications – eBusiness, eHealth, eLearning, etc.

• Workshops offer a unique opportunity for any party faced with a challenge to find others in a similar situation, and to develop a result by consensus validated in an open arena. Workshops are open to any interested party, worldwide, often on simple request, although sometimes a relatively modest fee is payable.  The Business Plan proposals and usually the draft CEN Workshop Agreements are on the public web for open comments.  Since 1998, CEN/ISSS has started over 60 Workshops, and at any given time usually 15-20 are active.  Full details of current and proposed Workshops, as well as information on completed activities, are available on the CEN/ISSS pages of the CEN web site.
  
  Workshop outputs are varied, ranging from specifications and guidance documents, through to seminars, information days, public validation and market feedback, and so on. The main product is the CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA), listed under the CEN logo and listed in national standards' catalogues;  in the ICT domain many of the relevant CWAs are available for downloading free-of-charge from the CEN web site.  CWAs may be renewed after a three year publication period or taken as “first drafts” of formal European or International Standards.
• Focus Groups are open groups set up to consider overall standardization issues on topics of particular public or commercial interest. They may look into the standardization work required to support specific acts of European legislation, or simply be a means to provide clear information on the typical jungle of overlapping and competing standards initiatives and bodies on many ICT topics. Through a process of public consultation and expert guidance they report on recommended standardization activities.  In addition to Groups under ICTSB auspices (eg network security or eAccessibility), there are CEN/ISSS Groups on eBusiness interoperability (CEN/ISSS eBIF), cultural diversity (CEN/ISSS CDFG), eGovernment (CEN/ISSS FG eGOV) and Biometrics (CEN/ISSS FG Biometrics).
• Technical Committees are the medium for traditional CEN standardization activities, an alternative for those seeking, through their national delegations, to produce formal European Standards to meet the requirements of European legislation. There are currently ten such Technical Committees in CEN/ISSS, concerned with advanced manufacturing technologies, eHealth, intelligent transport, bar coding and RFID), geographic information systems, smart cards and authentication and eLearning.

CEN/ISSS is also the European Entry Point to the UN/CEFACT EDI and ebXML standards processes for eBusiness – locally carried out within a CEN/ISSS Workshop – and a user signatory to the ISO/IEC/ITU/UN-ECE Memorandum of Understanding on eBusiness standards.

The CEN Management Centre Pre-Standards Department co-ordinates CEN/ISSS operations.  For further information, please contact:

CEN Pre-Standards Department
CEN Management Centre

Rue de Stassart 36
B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
Tel +32 2 550 0813; Fax +32 2 550 0966