The European Parliament adopted a new deal with the Council which intends to provide EU firms swifter access to standard solutions to technical problems. The new regulation aims in particular to enhance the use of standards in the service sector and speed up the development process for information and technology (ITC) standards.

MEPs adopted in plenary session a new deal previously agreed by European Parliament and the Council negotiators, which aims to enhance the use of standards in the service sector and speed up the development process for information and technology (ITC) standards, to encourage the rapid spread of best practice and innovation. According to MEPs, under the new deal EU firms will get swifter access to standard solutions to technical problems, enabling them to cut production costs, help spread best practice, boost competitiveness and drive growth. The European Commission already launched a White Paper on this topic in 2009.

Thanks to the new rules for modernising the EU Standardisation system, European standards will also be better plugged into the international standardisation system, thus boosting European firms' global competitiveness. The new regulation lays down rules on cooperation among the various players in the standardisation system at national and EU levels (i.e. national and European standardisation bodies and the European Commission), so as to ensure a clear division of responsibilities, avoid administrative snags and prevent the emergence of incompatible or contradictory standards.

Small firms and representatives of consumers, environmental or civil society bodies will be consulted throughout the development process of the implementation of the new regulation, to ensure that the views of users, particularly those with special needs such as disabled or elderly people, are taken into account and that products meet their needs.