They included:

• The importance of collaboration between ESOs and the European Commission
• Access to standardization for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)
• The Small Businesses Act
• The "EC Study on ICT Standardization Policy Requirements"
• The importance of innovation, R&D results, and standardization to the value food chain
• The visibility of the European standardization system

The "knowledge economy" also was a topic.

A report on the outcome of the meeting was given by EC Vice-President Günter Verheugen, who concurred with the views of the ESO representatives that standardization was very high on the agendas of global trade partners. He added that innovation is key to the success of the knowledge economy.

While embracing this sentiment, the ESOs added that innovation alone was insufficient for market success, as was the simple delivery of R&D results, stating that standardization was required to cement together elements of the value chain.

Mr. Verheugen alluded to the mutually dependent nature of the relationship between the ESOs and the EC, aligning the value of ESO support to the Commission's standardization policies, with EC recognition of the ESOs.

Speaking in the context of the importance of access to standardization for SMEs, Vice-President Verheugen referred to the Small Business Act, speaking of the need to -œimprove the involvement of SMEs in the standardization process and their access to the use of standards-. The ESOs pointed to their support and willingness to assess ways to cooperate on this matter without jeopardizing their independence.

The ESOs' stressed the success of the Seconded European Standardization Expert in China (SESEC) and announced that a similar initiative is currently under way for India. They also highlighted the added value of the Regulatory Dialogues in the context of the [joint] promotion of the European system of standardization.