2026-07-15
Six horizontal DPP standards are now cited in the Official Journal
Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1736 of 14 July 2026 cites six EN 18xxx Digital Product Passport standards, giving them a presumption of conformity under the ESPR. The two security standards, prEN 18239 and prEN 18246, are not yet included.
Harmonised standards trigger a presumption of conformity under the ESPR once their references are cited by the Commission in the Official Journal. That has now happened for the core of the Digital Product Passport framework.
Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1736 of 14 July 2026, published in the Official Journal on 15 July 2026, cites six harmonised DPP standards drafted in support of Regulation (EU) 2024/1781. This is the sequel to our explainer on the CEN-CENELEC EN 18xxx family.
The six cited standards
- EN 18216:2026 — data exchange protocols
- EN 18219:2026 — unique identifiers
- EN 18220:2026 — data carriers
- EN 18221:2026 — data storage, archiving and persistence
- EN 18222:2026 — APIs
- EN 18223:2026 — system interoperability
Why citation matters
Citation is the trigger for presumption of conformity. Under Article 41(2) of the ESPR, a passport that conforms to these harmonised standards, or parts of them, is presumed to satisfy the corresponding requirements in Articles 10 and 11 to the extent that those requirements are covered by the standards. For a company, applying the cited standards provides a recognised and more legally certain way to demonstrate conformity, although it does not remove any applicable conformity-assessment or documentation obligations.
The two security standards are not in yet
The citation lists the six horizontal standards only. The two security standards, prEN 18239 (security and confidentiality) and prEN 18246 (data authentication and integrity), are not part of Decision (EU) 2026/1736. At the time of publication, their approval process was still ongoing and no official result was available. Any future citation will require the standards to be approved and published and their references to be included in a later Commission decision.
Latest update — 27 July 2026: CEN-CENELEC currently lists EN 18239:2026 and EN 18246:2026 as under approval, with ratification scheduled for 17 August 2026 and availability of the definitive texts scheduled for 16 September 2026. Neither standard has yet been cited in the Official Journal.
What to do now
- If you are specifying a DPP build, treat the six cited standards as the baseline to design against; see the standards and tech overview.
- Remember the horizontal standards define how a passport is identified, stored, secured and made interoperable. What data each product must carry still comes from the product-group delegated acts.
Primary source: Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1736.
Frequently asked questions
Which Digital Product Passport standards are cited in the Official Journal?
Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1736 of 14 July 2026 cites six horizontal DPP standards: EN 18216:2026 (data exchange protocols), EN 18219:2026 (unique identifiers), EN 18220:2026 (data carriers), EN 18221:2026 (data storage, archiving and persistence), EN 18222:2026 (APIs) and EN 18223:2026 (system interoperability).
What does presumption of conformity mean for a Digital Product Passport?
Under Article 41(2) of the ESPR, a DPP that conforms to these cited harmonised standards, or parts of them, is presumed to meet the corresponding requirements in Articles 10 and 11 to the extent that those requirements are covered by the standards. In practice, applying the standards provides a recognised and lower-risk route for documenting conformity, but it does not remove any applicable conformity-assessment or documentation obligations.
Are the DPP security standards published yet?
Not yet. EN 18239:2026, covering access-rights management, information-system security and business confidentiality, and EN 18246:2026, covering data authentication, reliability and integrity, are not listed in Decision (EU) 2026/1736. As of 27 July 2026, CEN-CENELEC lists both standards as under approval, with ratification scheduled for 17 August 2026 and availability of the definitive texts scheduled for 16 September 2026. Any Official Journal citation would require a later Commission decision.