The 4th European Standardization Summit and the annual meeting of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) was held from 3 to 5 June 2015 in Riga, Latvia. The event was attended by over 200 delegates, including leaders of national, European and international standards organizations, as well as representatives of the Latvian Government, the European institutions, industry and other stakeholders.

The theme of the European Standardization Summit 2015 was how  standardization can contribute to a “cleaner and smarter” economy in Europe. This theme was chosen because of its relevance to the objectives of the EU 2020 strategy (in terms of promoting smart, sustainable and inclusive growth). Calling for “cleaner and smarter” economy, the EU stives to promote growth, create jobs, foster competitiveness and secure the Europe’s position in the global market.

The summit is primarily focused on the construction sector, which constitutes the largest part of the European single market. It mostly consist of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and provides almost 20 million jobs. Construction also has a kay role to play in ensuring that every citizen can have good quality of life. This puts the spotlight on the construction sector as having a vital importance for the EU economy and society. The goal of a “smarter and cleaner” economy in the construction sector translates into improving the energy performance of buildings, integrating sustainability into architecture, developing “smart” cities, linking science and standardization and advancing the design and management of buildings.

During the Summit four sessions were held: “Energy performance of buildings”, “Sustainable Buildings”, “Building smart cities” and “Building Design and management”.

The joint General Assembly of the European Standards Organizations CEN and CENELEC was also held in Riga, and after that the General Assembly of CEN and the General Assembly of CENELEC. New decisions have been made that aim to improve the standardization work. A certain a number of resolutions have been adopted and regular annual election of representatives of the working bodies of these organizations has been carried out.

4th European Standardization Summit and the annual meeting of CEN and CENELEC and was attended by the Director of the Institute for Standardization Mr. Aleksandar Cincar and Deputy Director Mr. Borislav Kraljević.