• Designing with the Eurocodes
  • EN Eurocodes & related standards
    • Execution standards
    • Product standards
    • Test standards
    • ISO standards
  • Structures designed to EN Eurocodes

Technical Cooperation between ISO and CEN

CEN works closely with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) following the Agreement on Technical Cooperation between ISO and CEN (Vienna Agreement), formally approved in 1991.

The Agreement recognises the primacy of international standards, but also recognises that particular needs (of the Single European Market for example) might require the development of standards for which a need has not been recognized at the international level. The prioritization of ISO work is also such that in some instances CEN needs to undertake work which is urgent in the European context, but less so in the international one.

As a result, the agreement sets out two essential modes for collaborative development of standards: the mode under ISO lead and the mode under CEN lead, in which documents developed within one body, are notified for the simultaneous approval by the other.

The benefits expected from the use of this agreement include:

• avoidance of duplication of work and structures, thus allowing expertise to be focused and used in an efficient way;
• increasing the speed of elaboration, availability and maintenance of standards.

ISO is an independent, non-governmental organization made up of members from the national standardisation bodies of 163 countries. There are three member categories:

• full members (or member bodies) influence ISO standards development and strategy by participating and voting in ISO technical and policy meetings;
• correspondent members observe the development of ISO standards and strategy by attending ISO technical and policy meetings as observers;
• subscriber members keep up to date on ISO's work but cannot participate in it.