Harmonised European Standards (hENs) are the cornerstone of legally compliant implementation of the high-risk requirements under the AI Act. However, the development of hENs is progressing too slowly to deliver practicable standards in time.
With our position paper "Creating Competitive AI Act Standards" – as a follow-up to our first paper on the status and challenges of AI Act standardisation from December 2024 – we present four proposals to the European Commission for the successful implementation of the AI Act’s requirements for high-risk AI systems, in light of the current challenges in standardisation.
Extension of implementation deadlines for high-risk AI system requirements by 24 months
Recourse to existing industry practices wherever possible to avoid inconsistencies and ensure global alignment
Conformity assessment based on internationally recognized CASCO documents, to ensure global alignment
Focus on the mandatory requirements under the AI Act, and a corresponding reduction in the number of standardisation projects, to streamline efforts and focus resources
