The CEN standards in plain language

I'm Daniel Carlman, and this is DPP Academy. Today: the CEN standards, in plain language.

The law says what a passport must do. The technical how is written by CEN and CENELEC, in a joint committee called JTC 24, at the request of the European Commission.

There are eight so far. They are published standards, not drafts, approved by CEN in May and August 2026.

On the product: 18219 covers unique identifiers, for products, operators and facilities. 18220 covers data carriers: the code, how it is printed, and how durable it is.

Between systems: 18216 sets the exchange protocols and formats. 18222 defines the API for a passport’s lifecycle, and for finding it. 18223 covers interoperability: a shared way to describe products.

And keeping it safe: 18221 covers storage, archiving and persistence. 18239, access rights and security. 18246, authentication and integrity, against fraud and counterfeiting.

And the law? ESPR requires passport data built on open standards, and interoperable passports. These standards are one voluntary way to meet that. Once cited in the Official Journal, following them gives a presumption of conformity, for the requirements they cover.

I'm Daniel. See you in episode nine.

Next time: the data, and where it lives today. This is not legal advice.