POLICY :: RFID :: EU Involvement

Why should the EU help?

Few new technologies have recently triggered as much attention from consumer organisations and politicians around the world as RFID devices. Given its economic potential, the European Commission must ensure that it is developed within a consistent framework across Europe, to avoid legal, ethical and economic discrepancies.

As did the GSM in the 1990s, RFID is now rapidly moving from the research lab to mass applications, generating an intense public debate about its implications and potential. RFID could become a new motor of growth and jobs and help Europe turn into the most competitive knowledge-based economy, as set in the “Lisbon Strategy”.

The role of the European Commission is to drive and foster a coherent European approach which ensures common standards, harmonised legislation and compatible guidelines. The Commission also intends to foster complementary research into RFID implementation and its further evolution as part of an Internet of Things.

Alongside the European public debate, the European Commission has also strengthened its international contacts with foreign administrations in the United States and Asia. The objective is to agree on global interoperability standards and practices regarding data privacy and ethical principles.