CEN

Lifts, escalators and moving walks are essential elements for the transportation of society. With this work safe access and accessibility for all is provided. Furthermore, this work encompasses energy efficiency and adherence to the United Nations' sustainability goals namely 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 which are integral components of the standards.

Until 2022, the lift and escalator industry lacked dedicated ICT standards—aside from those addressing cybersecurity. Initially, the approach within ISO and CEN was to integrate all relevant topics directly into the core product standards, often referred to as the "product bible": ISO 8100-1/2 and ISO 8103-1. Notably, ISO 8103-1 was published at the end of 2024 as a new global escalator standard, mirroring the European EN 115-1 requirements. This marked a major milestone for the industry, as it was the first time that European safety standards for escalators and moving walks would be applied globally.

As the field evolved and specific topics became increasingly complex, supplementary standards were introduced to support and expand upon the core documents.

It soon became apparent that ICT, due to its rapid advancement, remained insufficiently covered. In response, a strategic initiative was launched to assess the situation, define a roadmap for the future, and close this gap. Developing new standards and technical specifications in this area is now a top priority (further details in the following chapters).

At the same time, the core product standards must continue to be maintained, with general ICT aspects gradually integrated into them.
Another major challenge faced by ISO/TC 178 and the global lift and escalator sector is the current dynamic in China. The country is rapidly developing its local standards, with significantly shorter release timelines and fewer stakeholders involved compared to the ISO and CEN processes. This highlights the critical need for SAC to remain actively engaged in ISO and to adopt ISO standards as national standards. To address this, additional partnerships have been formed, and regular exchange meetings are held to ensure the highest possible level of influence and alignment.

This standard boosts the creation of a certification system for biometric solutions to be used in different scenarios. One of the first scenarios to be addressed is the remote identification of citizens using videoconference tools, i.e., using facial recognition with the users’ digital devices. But other scenarios will be added during this proposal, such as the use of face recognition in the future EUDI Wallet.

In terms of broader European interests, my fellowship contributes to EU goals of digital sovereignty, user empowerment, and privacy leadership on the global stage. As the EUDI wallet is adopted across Europe, this framework will provide a scalable model for data protection and user-centric identity management that can be extended beyond digital wallets to other data-sharing contexts, enhancing Europe’s role as a privacy leader. With data privacy becoming a key competitive factor, this initiative not only strengthens the protection of EU citizens’ rights but also sets a high standard for digital identity solutions globally.