Review of Technical Specifications

This page specifies the actions required to review or update a  CEN Technical Specification (CEN/TS).

1 PROCESS

1.1 A CEN/TS is not amended but replaced by a new edition with a new date of edition.
Corrigenda are possible.

1.2 CCMC initiates the systematic review three years after the publication date of the TS or last confirmation, or earlier upon decision of the TC or BT, or following a request of a CEN National Member, the EC or EFTA Secretariat or CCMC.

For CEN ISO Technical Specifications, CEN does not carry out systematic reviews. ISO carries out the systematic reviews on the corresponding – identical – ISO standards and decides on their future:

• if ISO confirms the ISO TS, the corresponding CEN ISO/TS is considered as confirmed as well;
• if ISO decides to withdraw the ISO TS, CCMC proposes to BT to withdraw the corresponding CEN ISO/TS as well, after contacting the CEN Technical Body.

When there is no Technical Body mirroring the activities of an ISO TC, BT is responsible for any activities related to those WIs.

1.3 Every Quarter, CCMC launches electronic ballots for the CEN members for all TSs that have reached three years after publication and thus for which the review should be initiated (this does not include CEN ISO/TSs). This is also visible on PROJEX-ONLINE.  The eBalloting is 20 weeks in duration and CEN members are asked the following 5 questions:

1. Which action do you recommend?
2. Has this CEN publication been adopted or is it intended to be adopted in the future as a national publication?
3. If yes, is the national publication identical to this CEN publication or was it modified?
4. Is this CEN Publication, or its national adoption, referenced in regulations in your country?
5. If the voting results show a need to convert this CEN publication into another deliverable, are you prepared to participate in the development of the project?

The results are made available on the eBalloting portal for the TC to access. 

1.4 The TC (or the BT if there is no responsible TC), being responsible for the maintenance of the TS, is required to review the results of the systematic review.

1.5 The responsible CEN/TC decides by taking a Decision on one of the following options, in accordance with the process for 'Delegated Decisions':

• an EN is now desirable, in which case the CEN/TS should be submitted for conversion to an EN through Enquiry or Formal Vote (a NWI ballot shall be initiated in the TC)
• the CEN/TS continues to represent the 'appropriate consensus' solution to the market need; in which case it should be confirmed for a further 3 years;
• the CEN/TS should be replaced by a new edition, keeping the same reference (a NWI ballot shall be initiated in the TC)
• the CEN/TS is obsolete or no longer serves the market need; in which case the CEN/TS should be withdrawn.

Any decision to confirm a CEN/TS for another three years shall be accompanied by a valid justification from the CEN/TC.