In the ITC sector, the Commission should pay more attention to pre-standardisation cooperation based on open standards and encourage links between results of research programmes and standardisation.

- Promote strengthening of the link between results of research programmes and standardization, put more emphasis on international pre-competitive industrial research collaboration and pay more attention to pre-standardization cooperation based on open standards.

The activities should also encourage the use of open standards, and the creation of large user groups analysing and testing pre-standardisation and specifications schemes with a view to conveying European multilingual and multicultural aspects into the process of definition of global standards for digital learning content.

The activities should also encourage the use of open standards, and the creation of large user groups analysing and testing pre-standardisation and specifications schemes with a view to conveying European multilingual and multicultural aspects into the process of definition of global standards for digital learning content;

= the relationship between European and international standardisation and its relevance to the access of European enterprises to the markets of third countries ; = whether, and under what conditions, in cases where harmonised standards are not yet available, while recognising that harmonised standards are the best guarantee of the essential health and safety requirements, alternatives might provide a degree of assurance of conformity to such essential requirements until harmonised standards are adopted ; = the special role of the public authorities, including the Commission, at the different stages of the standardisation process under the New Approach and, in this context, improvements to the mandating of the European Standards organisa ...[+++]tions to produce the necessary harmonised standards, including the review of mandates and work programmes with particular reference to the priorities to be given to work items; = whilst recognising that the search for consensus must remain the guiding principle, consideration of the scope for voting within the European Standards organisations at an earlier stage in the development of harmonised standards in support of the New Approach, where all the necessary technical elements are present but a final consensus is proving difficult to establish and is delaying the production of a standard; = the use of new technology by the European Standards organisations to provide greater and more immediate transparency on the progress being made in the preparation of harmonised standards; = the role of pre-standardisation research as a means of improving the quality of standards and the efficiency of the process. ...

Aimed at improving coordination, avoiding duplication of work, achieving more cost effective-use of facilities, improving specialized training, assisting technology transfer, and contributing to pre-standardization.