POSITION PAPER: Digitalisation and Alignment of Common Specifications

CECIMO, representing the European manufacturing technology industry, supports the European Commission’s Omnibus IV initiative to streamline the Single Market through enhanced digitalisation and alignment of compliance procedures. The shift from paper-based to digital obligations, simplification of administrative processes, and encouragement of digital interactions between businesses and public authorities are all welcome steps that promise to reduce bureaucracy, save time and improve transparency.

While CECIMO is fully aligned with the EU’s digital and green objectives, we raise significant concerns regarding the increasing use of Common Specifications (CS), particularly when used as alternatives to or fallback mechanisms for harmonised European standards (hENs), particularly in areas such as the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230.

Machine tool builders are system integrators operating within complex supply chains. They rely heavily on their component suppliers, especially for key elements such as controllers, to ensure compliance with technical specifications. This means that any compliance efforts must first begin at the supplier level. Machine builders can only start adapting their designs, programming, and configurations once compliant components are available on the market. For this reason, we strongly urge the European Commission to adopt a phased-in transition approach. This would give component suppliers adequate time to adjust before machine tool builders are expected to integrate these changes into their final products...

FULL PAPER HERE

For more information, please contact: Olha HUNCHAK, Technical and Digital Policy Manager