Open point

An open point is a topic a TSI explicitly declares it does not yet regulate — the drafters either lacked consensus, mature technology or sufficient data when the TSI was adopted. Unlike a specific case (a deliberate national deviation from a regulated requirement), an open point is a hole in the harmonised layer itself: for that topic there simply is no EU-level technical requirement yet. The gap does not mean 'anything goes' — it is filled by notified national rules, which member states must register in ERA's Reference Document Database, and conformity with them is assessed by a Designated Body rather than a Notified Body. Each TSI revision aims to close open points as harmonised solutions mature, which is why comparing a TSI's open-point annex across editions is a quick way to read the direction of regulatory travel. For project planning, open points are risk items: they mean per-country engineering variance in an otherwise harmonised procurement, and their closure in a future TSI revision can change requirements mid-programme.