By Haley WU on 9 October 2020

10 June 2020 is an important day for the CEN and CENELEC Community. In 1960, representatives from ISO and IEC members in the European Economic Community (EEC) and EFTA countries agreed to the creation of two European Standardization Organizations, CEN and CENEL – which then became CENELEC. In a period that witnessed the founding steps of European integration, such agreement of principles set the basis for the creation of a common European Standardization System. In 2020, CEN and CENELEC celebrate 60 years of collaboration on European standardization, and this provides us with an opportunity to look back at the successes achieved, and to reflect on the road that is still ahead.

As part of the celebrations, CEN and CENELEC launched the project ‘Faces of standardization’, which features the publication of a series of monthly interviews with different individuals who are actively contributing to European standardization. The interviewees include the Chair of CEN/TC, the Chair of CEN-CENELEC JTC, the Director General APPLiA, as well as SESEI (Seconded European Standardization Expert for India) and SESEC (Seconded European Standardization Expert in China).

In September 2020, Dr. Betty XU, Director of SESEC project, was interviewed by CEN-CENELEC. During the interview, Dr. Betty XU introduced herself and her involvement in standardization affairs, also through a series of anecdotes from her 14 years’ of direct experience in the field. In terms of European Standardization, Dr Betty XU analyzed the benefits and the main achievements of European Standardization System in detail; she also shared her views on the evolution and directions of standardization for the next 60 years, particularly her conviction that there will be more harmonized standards all over the world to support product and technology interoperability and international trade. SESEC project will continue its efforts to enhance the visibility of European standardization activities in China, to increase the cooperation between Chinese and European standardization bodies, and to support European companies facing standardization-related issues hampering market access to China.

The full text of CEN-CENELEC interview with Dr. Betty XU is available at: https://www.cencenelec.eu/aboutus/60Years/Documents/FacesOfStandardization_SESEC_HR.pdf.

For more information, you can browse the official website of CEN-CENELEC on CEN and CENELEC celebrate 60 years of Contributing to Standardization in 2020.