Sophia Antipolis, France, 3 December 2025

ETSI’s 86th General Assembly took place on 2 and 3 December 2025.

DAY ONE

Accessibility and Human rights were among the key topics addressed on the first day with a special attention on how the work of the ETSI technical committees can be conducted in the most responsible and inclusive way.

The General Assembly discussed new membership applications. The University of Hong Kong specified their involvement motivations and expressed interest in several technical domains, including Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS), Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC), Terahertz (THz) technologies and Wireless communications and next-generation networks. University outreach plays a dual role within ETSI: they serve as incubators for the next generation of standards professionals while also helping to bridge the gap between research and standardisation.

A healthy discussion also surrounded the possible membership of ACT | The App Association (Association for Competitive Technology) representing developer SMEs. ACT and ETSI finally came to a mutual understanding that the best solution would be to explore a collaborative partnership providing a platform for greater SME developer community involvement in ETSI’s various technical work streams.

ACT’s Founder, Mike Sax, stated: "ACT appreciates the important role ETSI plays in developing the technical standards that will define products into the next decade; SMEs play a vital role in both the development and practical implementation of standards but often struggle to have the resources to participate. ACT looks forward to supporting SMEs to participate and provide a conduit for concerns and input to ETSI."

This decision and the other matters discussed once again demonstrate ETSI’s commitment to inclusiveness and how its members can reach consensus on the best way forward.

DAY TWO

The second day of the General Assembly focused on strategic directions for the organisation, with 2025 achievements from the Director-General, National Standards Organisations and bodies and 2026 focus areas. The European Commission made a status update on European Standardisation Organisations (ESOs) standardisation requests such as the Cyber Resilient Act and presented upcoming activities, including the Quantum Act and the revision of Regulation 1025/2012 on European Standardisation, scheduled for the end of 2026.

The Board Chair and the ETSI Director-General outlined the significant accomplishments throughout 2025, reinforcing ETSI’s position as a leading standards body and moving forward with new partnership agreements, outreach in other regions of the world and other major achievement that went along with ETSI’s internal organisational changes. While establishing a policy affairs department strengthened ETSI’s role as a European Standardisation Organisation, it will facilitate closer alignment between the European Commission and industry in a longer term.
2026 will see expanding activity sectors into focus areas such as quantum, cybersecurity, AI/Data and software development groups, for standards made in Europe for global use, while the geographical footprint will extend to Middle East and Africa.

True to ETSI’s spirit, informal exchanges during coffee breaks and dinner featured technical demos, international cooperation updates, standards education initiatives, and engaging conversations on Quantum technologies.