Recovery plan powers EU’s strategic autonomy
The topic on rebooting the EU economy after coronavirus brought together at the online annual Brussels Economic Forum (BEF), high-level policymakers, opinion leaders, academics, civil society and business leaders from EU and beyond. They held a vibrant debate on the unprecedented economic and social situation in Europe emphasing the role for the state in the economy and the push for social and green restart after the pandemic.
It was stressed during discussions that the EU countries that want to use recovery funding should draw up reform and investment plans aiming to raise productivity growth and focus on projects in line with common European priorities.The recovery plan is even bigger than the Marshall plan and all national recovery plans should be coordinated to facilitate investments. In order for the plan to be successful it is crucial to avoid tightening rules too soon. European economies should be given the necessary time and that means to keep an expansionary fiscal stance in 2021.
Compiled by Media 21 Foundation from: https://europost.eu/en/a/view/recovery-plan-powers-eu-s-strategic-autonomy-30749
Standardisation could be the catalyst for the EU’s digital and green transition
The European Recovery Plan requires a collective effort to produce innovative, long-term solutions. Ideas and initiaives come from many sides. In this context, European Standards (ENs) have already proven to be an effective tool for powering Europe’s recovery. In response to a request from the European Commission, CEN and CENELEC, two of the official European standardisation organisations, took the unprecedented step of making freely available a series of European standards for medical devices, ventilators and personal protective equipment. These standards, previously developed with the expertise of European industry experts, including contributions from users and consumers, have helped facilitate the work of the companies that converted their production lines to deliver urgently needed equipment.In order to avoid a fragmented response across Europe, CEN developed a free guideline on community masks, CWA 17553:2020. A well-functioning European standards’ system is a fundamental condition for a well-functioning Single Market and a resilient and sustainable recovery process. A major prerequisite for this is to ensure the correct application of the New Legislative Framework (NLF), with the timely citation of harmonised standards (hENs) in the Official Journal of the EU. It might sound technical but the issue has very practical implications in creating clear rules for European industry, boosting certainty, innovation and its global competitiveness.Standardisation has also an immediate impact on the medical care and the everyday struggle against COVID-19 disease.
Compiled by Media 21 Foundation from: https://www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/news/article/setting-standards-for-europe-recovery
