German Standardization Strategy

The international relevance of ISO and IEC is recognized and is being further strengthened.

• German standardization has a uniform international agenda.
• Standards and conformity assessment systems which are applied uniformly at the international level are an essential prerequisite for free market access, and offer investment and legal security.
• Member countries of the WTO or other international trade organizations adopt international standards in basically unchanged form as implementation of their national technical laws, which determine market access conditions. Implementation of the national adoption and application of standards is transparent. Germany plays a pioneering role in this respect.

The European single market is strengthened by standardization.

• The European model of standardization is also attractive for other regions and is adopted by them.
• The standardization stakeholders actively exploit the possibilities of participating in the political decision-making process.
• The standardization stakeholders are continuously and actively involved in the political decisions relevant to standardization. Processes and interests are open and transparent.
• The stakeholders of German standardization work in DIN and DKE actively help shape the European standardization system and support the European standardization organizations CEN and CENELEC and, where appropriate, ETSI, as strong and independent organizations.
• The quality of the harmonized standards in particular is safeguarded and is further strengthened.

The market relevance (see Presidential Resolution 18/2013) of standardization projects is ensured.

DIN and DKE are recognized by the fields of politics, business and society at large. They help ensure the global competitiveness of the economy, and Germany as a business location through standardization.

• The demarcation of standardization responsibilities is clearly defined.
• The political system supports standardization as a means of determining what is state of the art and of promoting innovation.
• The private status of the standardization organizations is permanently guaranteed.

Standards relieve the strain on the national regulatory process and facilitate public procurement. However, it is generally accepted that they are not suitable instruments for regulating aspects solely concerning the formation of political opinion, the representation of public interests or the relationship between management and labour.

The new legal framework has been extended to other appropriate areas, while respecting the division of responsibilities between the EU and member states.

The standardization organizations and the policy-makers work together in a spirit of trust.

Public interests, in particular the safeguarding of targets such as environmental protection, consumer protection, occupational safety, health protection and building safety are taken into account within standardization. Standards contribute to the global transfer of German sustainability benchmarks.

DIN and DKE provide the world's leading moderation platform for standardization. They organize the standardization subjects and coordinate cooperation beyond the boundaries of their own organization, including forums and consortia and other standardization organizations.

• In this context, DIN and DKE are committed to ensuring the coherence and consistency of the rules and regulations.
• They focus the work of the standardization stakeholders thematically and orient it towards specific goals. All interest groups can participate in an appropriate form.
• Joint topic-based steering committees within the DIN and DKE coordinate at the content level and are also open to standardization organizations, forums and consortia.
• DIN and DKE are qualified, as neutral organizations, to perform such coordination tasks.
• Appropriate funding which ensures neutrality is guaranteed.
• DIN and DKE initiate future-oriented projects based on the work of experts.
• Standardization supports the spread of technologies and thus prepares markets for new developments.
• Standardization also serves interoperability.
• Standardization is also made use of in the field of science and research.

DIN and DKE are driving forces behind standardization for the digital transformation.

• Instruments such as roadmaps are used for strategic future planning.
• Approaches have been developed for intellectual property rights issues.
• DIN and DKE have established partnerships and ways of collaborating effectively with open source projects, and of using open source techniques and methods in standardization.

Trade and industry are the mainstays of standardization and contribute their expertise to it on a permanent basis. Ever growing numbers of experts are being put forward by trade and industry for national, European and international standardization projects.

• Most standardization topics are introduced by trade and industry.

The cost-benefit ratio of the standardization projects is viable and the follow-up costs arising from the standards are factored in. Suitable tools have been developed.

The needs of the general public are taken into account.

Standardization generates added value for society.
Standardization results contribute to sustainable development by taking all protection goals into account; they support the UN sustainability goals (Agenda 2030).

DIN and DKE actively cooperate with associations and seek to present a united front.

DIN and DKE work together with forums and consortia.

The benefits of standardization are recognized at all corporate levels.

Standardization is used by managers as a strategic means of achieving corporate goals; participation in committees is encouraged and acknowledged by companies.

Standardization work is well organized. Effective and reliable processes and structures have been established. Appropriate digital tools are used for this purpose.
Standards are practical, limited to the essentials and a key source of information. Users' requirements are taken into account. They are a quality yardstick for standardization. A modular structure has been established for standards.

The targeted participation of experts, including those from SMEs, is possible.

Together with the Federal Government, the associations and the institutional executors of German standardization, DIN and DKE, encourage the corporate use of standardization in both domestic and export business.

The standardization processes are efficient and are perceived as such by the public.

The interested public is involved in the standardization process through clear structures and transparent processes.

DIN and DKE maintain an open and transparent dialogue with the interested public, including through innovative participation processes for stakeholders and interested groups.

Quality assurance of the standardization process is transparent.

Standardization is increasingly anchored in training and in academic teaching.

There is an ongoing discussion on the role of standardization in all the competing fields of science and technology, business, politics, society and social change.

The benefits and ways in which standardization supports economic activity, the common good and socio-political protection goals such as environmental protection, consumer protection, occupational safety, health protection and structural safety are communicated and recognized.