European Conference on Standards and Emerging Technology by SESEI

Currently, India is the fastest growing economy in the world with a market of more than 1.25 billion people. It has embarked on a process of economic reform and progressive integration with the global economy that aims to put it on a path of rapid and sustained growth.


Since the early 1960s, India and Europe both are strategic partners, with India being amongst the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the European Economic Community. The EU as a block of 28 countries is India’s one of the largest (3rd) regional trading partner while India was the EU’s 9th largest trading partner in 2016. India’s overall bilateral trade with European Union for the period of 2016-17 was more than 89 US$ billion comprising of India’s exports to EU is 47.20 US$ billion (17.10% of India’s exports) and imports 42.36 US$ billion (11.02% of India’s imports).


The Indian Industries are witnessing significant technological developments especially considering several new projects and initiatives started by the Government across various sectors. The European industries also lead in respect to innovation, technology, Standardization, and R&D, which makes it a natural and strategic partner for India.


Role of Technology and Standards 

Standards are documented consensus agreements containing safety or technical specifications or other precise criteria to be used consistently as rules, guidelines, or definitions of characteristics for materials, products, processes, and services. In many cases, they provide uniformity which allows worldwide acceptance and application of a product or material. The aim of standards is to facilitate trade, exchange, and technology transfer. Standards help to remove technical barriers to trade, leading to new markets and economic growth for the industry.


Harmonization of standards through regular dialogue between SDO’s i.e. BIS, CEN CENELEC, TSDSI, and ETSI can play a leading role in the development of national and international standards that affect our industry, enhancing technical strength and market position. As standards are globally adopted and applied in many markets, they also fuel international trade.


It is mostly the use of global standards that the requirements of interconnectivity and interoperability can be assured. It is also through the application of these standards that the quality and credibility of new products and services are verified. In summary, standards fuel the development and implementation of technologies that influence and transform the way we live, work and communicate.


A strengthened exchange of views and information, sharing of best practices, and a constructive dialogue is important for partners on the matters of mutual interest in the areas of policy, new technological developments, Science, R&D, and Standardization. Therefore, it is imperative to establish a platform and engage in a dialogue on best practices in the field of standards and Emerging Technology. It is in this context, that EU Project SESEI (Seconded European Standardization Expert for India), brings together technical experts from its European community and Indian stakeholders for sharing and learning from each other. Strengthen the existing dialogue further by hearing from each other and help to bring the regions closure and create a true long-lasting Indo-European dialogue around standardization and related policies in the areas of: