European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization

CENELEC is a Non Profit International Association, forming the officially recognised European Standards Organisations (ESOs) together with CEN, the European Committee for Standardization and ETSI, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute.CENELEC acts as a platform for experts to develop European Standards (ENs), which facilitate world trade by removing barriers to trade, enhancing economic growth and leading to new markets.

Our objective is to agree on common specifications to respond to the needs of industry, meet consumer expectations and contribute to the consolidation of the European Single Market.

CENELEC is strongly committed to:

• Satisfy the needs of the European industry and other stakeholders in the market place in the areas of standardisation and conformity assessment in the fields of electricity, electronics and associated technologies.
• Lead the improvement of all aspects of product quality, product safety, service quality and service safety in the fields of electricity, electronics and associated technologies, including protec­tion of the environment, accessibility and innovation, and so to contribute to the wel­fare of society.
• Support IEC, the International Electrotechnical Commission, in achieving its mission: “To be globally recognised as the pro­vider of standards and conformity assessment and related services needed to facilitate international trade in the fields of electricity, electronics and associ­ated technologies.

Our standardisation making process is a transparent, consensus-based and open system relying on the full commitment of CENELEC members to implement ENs nationally, which ensures full harmonization of the Single Market and makes the European Standardization System (ESS) unique.

The economic benefits of standardization contribute to growth of all economic and societal factors. Standards belong to the knowledge economy that underpins European industry and society. European standardization is a key instrument for recovery of the European economy.

CENELEC and its National Committees (NCs) work jointly in the interest of European harmonization, creating both standards requested by the market and harmonized standards in support of European legislation.

The standardization system aims to increase market potential, encourage technological development and guarantee the safety and health of consumers and workers, as well as contribute to a greener world.