The Rolling Plan for ICT Standardisation provides a unique bridge between EU policies and standardisation activities concerning information and communication technologies (ICT). This helps to increase convergence of standards makers’ efforts towards achieving EU policy goals. This document is the result of an annual dialogue involving a wide-range of interested parties as represented by the European multi-stakeholder platform on ICT standardisation (MSP). The Rolling Plan focuses on actions that can support EU policies and does not claim to be as complete as the work programmes of the different standardisation bodies.
Standardisation actions identified in this document to support EU policies are complementary to other instruments, in particular the Annual Union Work Programme (AUWP). The Rolling Plan attempts to list all known areas where ICT standardisation could support EU policy objectives. It also details the requirements for ICT standardisation, translates them into actions and provides a follow-up mechanism for the actions.
The Rolling Plan 2023 identifies around 260 actions grouped into 39 technological or application domains under four thematic areas: key enablers, societal challenges, innovation for the single market and sustainable growth. Moreover, it gives a particular prominence to three horizontal “foundational topics” under section 3.0, including updated chapters on data economy, cybersecurity and e-privacy. These are all technology areas for standardisation that go right across the spectrum of standards-making, and may need to be referenced by many, even most, specific activities. Their challenges arise at every step of digitalisation and policy makers need to be more aware that ICT standardisation is the tool to tackle them.
What's new in the 2023 Edition?
The 2023 edition includes two new chapters focused on novel technologies where standardisation is increasingly important, namely Metaverse and Quantum Technologies. A new chapter on Pandemic preparedness is also included, building on the former Covid-19 chapter and extending its scope. Additionally, the former chapter on education, digital skills and digital learning has been split into two, one focusing on digital skills and the other one on digital learning.
There are also chapters that have undergone substantial modifications, highlighting among others the new section "Local Digital Twins" on the Smart and Sustainable Cities and Communities chapter, the updates on the Cybersecurity chapter, or the updated actions in the Digitalising European Industry chapter. The chapter on 5G now explicitly looks forward to the transition towards 6G and references the European partnership on ‘Smart Networks and Services beyond 5G and towards 6G’ under the new Horizon Europe Framework Programme started in 2021.
Moreover, new legislative acts and proposals such as the Data Act, Digital Services Act (DSA), Digital Markets Act (DMA) or the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) have been referenced in the Rolling Plan.
EU POLICIES SUPPORTED BY ICT STANDARDISATION
3.0 FOUNDATIONAL DRIVERS
CYBERSECURITY / NETWORK AND INFORMATION SECURITY
3.1 KEY ENABLERS
BIG DATA, OPEN DATA PUBLIC SECTOR INFORMATION
ELECTRONIC IDENTIFICATION AND TRUST SERVICES INCLUDING E-SIGNATURES
E-INFRASTRUCTURES FOR DATA AND COMPUTING INTENSIVE SCIENCE
BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE MAPPING
ACCESSIBILITY OF ICT PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
EUROPEAN GLOBAL NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM (EGNSS)
3.2 SOCIETAL CHALLENGES
E-HEALTH, HEALTHY LIVING AND AGEING
SAFETY, TRANSPARENCY AND DUE PROCESS ONLINE
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC WARNING SYSTEMS
3.3 INNOVATION FOR THE DIGITAL SINGLE MARKET
E-PROCUREMENT – PRE- AND POST AWARD
PRESERVATION OF DIGITAL CINEMA
FINTECH AND REGTECH STANDARDISATION
BLOCKCHAIN AND DISTRIBUTED LEDGER TECHNOLOGIES
3.4 SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
SMART GRIDS AND SMART METERING
SMART AND SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES
EUROPEAN ELECTRONIC TOLL SERVICE (EETS)
DIGITISATION OF EUROPEAN INDUSTRY
ROBOTICS AN AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS
CONSTRUCTION-BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING
COMMON INFORMATION SHARING ENVIRONMENT (CISE) FOR THE EU MARITIME DOMAIN
WATER MANAGEMENT DIGITALISATION