Standardisation

Norway: Standard Norge Re-establishes NORSOK S-006 HSE Contract Requirements And Opens Draft For Public Consultation (Digital Hearing 21 May 2026)

Standard Norge has re-established the NORSOK S-006 "HMSK-krav i kontrakt" standard for HSE, quality and sustainability requirements in Norwegian petroleum contracts and is holding a digital public hearing on the revised draft on 21 May 2026. Companies involved in the Norwegian oil and gas supply chain should review the draft, evaluate gaps in their contract templates and management systems, and plan input or adjustments ahead of the standard’s finalisation.

12 May 2026, 15:21standard.noNorway

India BIS Consults On Fly Ash Utilization Guidelines Amendment and Conformity Assessment Standards

BIS has opened consultation on four wide-circulation draft Indian Standards, including an amendment to its fly ash utilisation guidelines and three core conformity assessment standards, with comments due by 07 July 2026. These drafts signal potential updates to India’s waste management practices and to the rules governing certification and inspection bodies, so organisations relying on fly ash applications or BIS-based conformity assessment should anticipate future changes to their compliance frameworks.

12 May 2026, 14:56standards.bis.gov.inIndia

EU Commission Draft Delegated Regulation Simplifying ESRS Sustainability Reporting Standards

The European Commission has issued a draft delegated regulation to simplify and revise the ESRS sustainability reporting standards under CSRD, cutting required datapoints and clarifying materiality and value-chain rules from financial year 2027 with optional early use for 2026. If adopted, this will materially reshape ESG reporting design, internal controls and disclosure scoping for in-scope EU and non-EU groups, reducing compliance burden but requiring careful remapping of KPIs, phase-ins and their interaction with Omnibus I and CSDDD.

12 May 2026, 13:44eur-lex.europa.euEuropean Union

China SAMR Approves 402 National Standards And Launches Certification-Body Threshold Campaign

China’s market regulator has approved 402 national standards spanning emerging technologies, environmental protection, safety, agriculture and consumer goods, and has launched a nationwide 2026 campaign to tighten admission and oversight of certification bodies. These moves signal a broad strengthening of China’s technical and conformity-assessment framework, so manufacturers and certification providers should reassess which products and services are affected, anticipate stricter certification scrutiny, and build upcoming GB standard changes into China market-access planning.

11 May 2026, 12:04samr.gov.cnChina

Great Britain Proposes Amendments to Designated Machinery Standards (Notice 0136/26)

The UK Department for Business and Trade has proposed updating the list of designated EN standards supporting the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008, adding new 2025 revisions across multiple C-type machinery standards and clarifying how two key standards confer presumption of conformity. If confirmed, manufacturers and importers placing machinery on the Great Britain market will need to align conformity assessment with the revised standards and transition away from superseded editions before they lose their presumption of conformity on 20 January 2027.

9 May 2026, 13:29assets.publishing.service.gov.ukUnited Kingdom

UK OPSS Proposes Updates To GB Designated Standards For Machinery And PPE

In May 2026, the UK Office for Product Safety and Standards proposed amending Great Britain’s designated standards for machinery and personal protective equipment, with notices of publication scheduled for early June after a short objection period. These changes will reset which standards manufacturers can rely on to demonstrate conformity under key GB product safety laws, so product, engineering and conformity teams should review the updated lists now and plan for both the new designations and the 2027 withdrawal of superseded machinery standards.

9 May 2026, 13:28gov.ukUnited Kingdom

EU Advocate General Opinion in Case C-238/25 on CE Marking of Modular Non-Automatic Weighing Instruments

In May 2026 the EU Advocate General issued a non-binding opinion in Case C-238/25 clarifying that modular non-automatic weighing systems without their own displays can still qualify as CE-marked instruments under Directive 2014/31/EU, provided external displays are included in the assessed configuration. If followed by the Court, this would support more flexible point-of-sale scale architectures but heighten the need for instrument manufacturers and retailers to document and prove conformity for each certified module-and-display combination to avoid market-surveillance challenges.

9 May 2026, 13:19eur-lex.europa.euEuropean Union

UNECE WP.29 Circulates Proposal for Supplement 8 to UN Regulation No. 121 on Vehicle Controls, Tell-Tales and Indicators

UNECE WP.29 has circulated for its June 2026 199th session a GRSG‑adopted proposal (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2026/120, GE.26‑05843 (E)) for Supplement 8 to the 01 series of UN Regulation No. 121, clarifying the Regulation’s scope for new vehicle categories X and Y and ADS‑equipped vehicles, aligning references to the R.E.3 Consolidated Resolution, introducing a definition of “Safety Concept” and allowing alternative requirements for some category X vehicles without a driver’s seat while refining the “passenger air bag off” tell‑tale requirement. If adopted by WP.29/AC.1 and then applied by Contracting Parties, these amendments will require OEMs and suppliers relying on UN Regulation No. 121 for type‑approval to review the scope, control‑identification design and documentation for instrument panels and controls, particularly for remotely controlled or driverless vehicles.

9 May 2026, 07:10docs.un.orgGlobal

Great Britain Updates Designated Standards for Recreational Craft

The UK has updated the list of designated standards supporting the Recreational Craft Regulations 2017, adding new 2024 standards for electric marine propulsion and overboard protection while scheduling older standards for withdrawal by mid-2027. Manufacturers placing recreational craft on the Great Britain market must transition their designs and conformity assessment to the new standards before August 2027 to retain presumption of conformity and avoid market-access risk.

8 May 2026, 18:57assets.publishing.service.gov.ukUnited Kingdom

US Administration Nominates CPSC Commissioner, CDC Director, Surgeon General and NIST Under Secretary

On 1 May 2026 the White House published a consolidated list of presidential nominations that includes new leadership picks for the CPSC, CDC, Surgeon General and NIST. If confirmed, these appointments could reset US priorities on consumer product safety, public health surveillance and standards-setting, shaping future regulatory direction rather than imposing immediate new obligations.

8 May 2026, 18:48govinfo.govUnited States

EMA Updates QRD Veterinary Combined Label-Leaflet Template to Version 9.1

In May 2026 the European Medicines Agency released version 9.1 of its English QRD combined label‑leaflet template for veterinary medicinal products, updating the standard structure and boilerplate wording for immediate packaging and package leaflets. Veterinary marketing authorisation holders should plan to migrate new and revised labels to this template, focusing on the harmonised instructions for adverse event reporting, storage conditions, environmental disposal and Union Product Database references.

8 May 2026, 11:00ema.europa.euEuropean Union

US CPSC Updates Full-Size Baby Crib Safety Standard to ASTM F1169-25

In May 2026, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a direct final rule updating its mandatory full-size baby crib standard (16 CFR 1219) to incorporate ASTM F1169-25, effective 1 August 2026 unless significant adverse comments are received by early June. Crib manufacturers and importers must adjust designs, testing, labeling, and third-party certification to meet new requirements for mesh/fabric-sided cribs and accessories or face non-compliance risks for future production.

8 May 2026, 08:27govinfo.govUnited States

UNECE WP.29 Publishes Annotated Provisional Agenda (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1191)

UNECE has published the annotated provisional agenda for an upcoming WP.29 session in May 2026, setting out the vehicle regulatory items it plans to discuss. This signals which UN vehicle regulations and technical topics may move in the next session, allowing automotive compliance teams to prioritise monitoring of relevant working documents and prepare for potential future changes.

EU Council Working Party on Technical Harmonisation To Examine Recommendation To Open EU–Korea Mutual Recognition Negotiations on Conformity Assessments

EU member state attachés in the Council Working Party on Technical Harmonisation will on 20 May 2026 examine a recommendation to open negotiations with South Korea on a mutual recognition agreement for conformity assessments, certificates and product markings. If pursued, this initiative could eventually simplify EU–Korea market access by reducing duplicate testing and certification for regulated products, though the specific sectors and conformity modules to be covered remain undefined at this stage.

8 May 2026, 06:49data.consilium.europa.euEuropean UnionSouth Korea

EMA Q&A on Implementation of European Pharmacopoeia Medicinal Product Monographs

EMA’s human medicines committee has issued updated Q&A guidance (13 April 2026) on how centrally authorised medicines must comply with European Pharmacopoeia medicinal product monographs, including use of alternative methods and handling of specification changes. This clarifies when marketing authorisation holders must submit variations, retain evidence or adjust impurity and dissolution limits, tightening expectations around Ph. Eur. implementation while discouraging unnecessary variation filings.

8 May 2026, 06:49ema.europa.euEuropean Union

US FDA Updates STIC Determinations to Recognize 2026 CLSI Antimicrobial and Antifungal Standards

FDA has updated its STIC notices page to fully recognize the 2026 CLSI M100 antibacterial and M27M44S/M38M51S antifungal susceptibility standards while retiring earlier editions, and to document associated drug-specific STIC decisions including new aztreonam/avibactam breakpoints. These changes reset the reference breakpoints FDA uses when evaluating antimicrobial products and susceptibility tests, so drug developers, IVD manufacturers, and clinical laboratories should compare their methods and labeling against the newly recognized standards to keep regulatory submissions and practice aligned.

7 May 2026, 19:19fda.govUnited States

EU Commission Adopts Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/989 Updating ATEX Standard EN 13616-1 For Overfill Prevention Devices In Static Fuel Tanks

Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/989, published in the Official Journal on 5 May 2026, amends Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/1668 to cite EN 13616-1:2025 as the harmonised ATEX standard for overfill prevention devices on static liquid-fuel tanks (Part 1, closure devices), creating an updated presumption-of-conformity route under Directive 2014/34/EU. The decision maintains the reference to EN 13616-1:2016 until 5 October 2027, after which it is deleted, so manufacturers and operators should migrate designs, testing and CE documentation to EN 13616-1:2025 within this transition period.

7 May 2026, 07:30eur-lex.europa.euEuropean Union

Chile Responds to WTO Comments on Draft Electrical Heat Pump Protocol PE No. 1/44:2025

Chile has issued a WTO TBT addendum (G/TBT/N/CHL/736/Add.1) detailing how it has modified draft Test Protocol PE No. 1/44:2025 for electric heat pumps in response to stakeholder comments, including annual rather than six‑monthly identity checks and clearer rules on representative models and sampling. These replies confirm that Chile will maintain relatively intensive external production and market surveillance while offering more flexible, internationally aligned testing and sampling options, allowing manufacturers to better plan certification timelines and costs for the Chilean market.

6 May 2026, 19:43members.wto.orgChile

China NIFDC Consults on Draft Testing Methods for Evaluating Skin-Whitening and Anti-Hair-Loss Cosmetic Efficacy

China’s National Institutes for Food and Drug Control has issued draft human-trial testing methods for substantiating skin-whitening and anti-hair-loss cosmetic efficacy claims, open for public comment until 5 June 2026. These drafts signal tighter, standardised expectations for efficacy evidence under China’s cosmetics regime, so brands planning such claims should prepare to align future trials and documentation with the updated methods once finalised.

6 May 2026, 07:37cosmetic.chemlinked.comChina

China Implements 1,071 National Standards From 1 May 2026

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation has confirmed that 1,071 national GB/GB/T standards across multiple sectors entered into force nationwide on 1 May 2026. The package includes mandatory and recommended standards for gas transmission equipment, consumer electrical appliances, ICT devices and specialist services, signalling broad upgrades to safety, quality and service expectations that manufacturers and service providers must track in product design and operations planning.

5 May 2026, 15:58samr.gov.cnChina