CEN was established in 1961. The CEN's 34 national members work together in developing European Standards from CEN. CEN is the European Committee for Standardization (ENs), in different sectors, to create a European market for goods and services. This will position Europe in the global economic system. CEN is recognized by the European Union and the European Free Trade Association as a European standard body. The other official European standards bodies for Europe are the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization, (CENELEC), and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute. [1][2]

The CEN network, which reaches more than 460 million people, has over 60,000 technical experts. CEN is the official recognized standardization representative in other sectors than electrotechnical and telecommunications. The European Parliament noted that CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI work well together and that a merger would not be in the best interests of all three standardization bodies on 12 February 1999. [3]

The thirty member countries are the 27 members of the European Union. Three countries belong to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), and the United Kingdom. CEN contributes to the European Union's and European Economic Area's objectives by providing technical standards (EN standard) that promote free trade, safety of workers, consumers, interoperability, networks, environmental protection, the exploitation of research-and-development programmes and public procurement. Harmonized standards include those applicable to materials and products in construction, which are listed under the Construction Products Directive. The CE Mark is a declaration made by the manufacturer that a product meets all applicable EU directives.

CEN, together with CENELEC, owns the Keymark. This is a voluntary quality label for products and services. The Keymark signifies conformity to European Standards.

CENELEC, a European regional standard organization, is part of the European Committee for Standardization and ETSI, European Telecommunications Standards Institute.

Only standards created by CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI can be considered 'European Standards' in the European Union. CENELEC and ETSI work closely together to create European Harmonization standards.

CEN, CENELEC and ETSI serve as regional mirrors to their international counterparts. IEC (the International Electrotechnical Commission), ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and ITU-T [the International Telecommunication Union's telecommunication standardization section] respectively.

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The European Committee for Standardization is a business catalyst for Europe. It removes trade barriers for European stakeholders, such as consumers, industry, public administration, and service providers. Its mission is to promote the European economy in global trade, the welfare and protection of the environment, and the well-being of European citizens. CEN offers a platform to develop European Standards and other specifications through its services.

CEN's 34 national members work together to create voluntary European Standards (ENs), in different sectors, to establish a European Internal Market for products and services and position Europe in global economic. Standards are an effective tool for economic growth by supporting research and helping to disseminate innovations. The CEN network, which reaches more than 480 million people, includes over 60.000 technical experts and business federations.