This consultation was concluded on 29 July 2011. An updated version of the SEPA Cards Standardisation Volume - Book of Requirements taking into consideration the feedback received is expected to be published later in 2011.

The objectives of a Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) for Cards will be achieved to the greatest extent possible through the use of open and free standards available to all parties within the card payment value chain. The European Payments Council (EPC) is carrying out a cards standardisation programme designed to remove technical obstacles preventing a consistent customer experience throughout the SEPA cards market and to allow a higher process efficiency along the overall card chain. In 2009, the EPC promoted the creation of the Cards Stakeholders Group (CSG) together with representatives of five sectors also active in the cards domain including retailers, vendors - such as manufacturer of card payment devices and related IT systems, processors, card schemes and banks. The CSG develops the SEPA Cards Standardisation Volume - Book of Requirements (the Standardisation Volume) which defines the functional and security standards requirements as well as an evaluation methodology designed to achieve interoperability based on open and free standards within SEPA.