Consulting

Austrian Standards supports the transfer of knowledge between Austria and the EU, and between regulatory institutions and organisations in other countries. Our consultants team up with international partners to manage projects in various areas of the quality infrastructure. This includes the standardisation, accreditation, certification and inspection processes as well as marketing monitoring and technical legislation.

Selected projects

Standards, Quality and Conformity Assessment Programme – ASEAN

Enhancing commercial exchanges between the European Commission (EC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with a focus on the industrial sectors of electric, electronic and telecommunications (EET); food; pharmaceuticals; cosmetics and tourism.

• Time frame: 2003 – 2006
• Region Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia
• Funding:European Commission – ASEAN
• Budget: €8,000,000

Contribution from Austrian Standards

7 experts on short-term basis, €100,000

Workshops for representatives of the ASEAN countries on the following topics:

Technical regulations, market monitoring, standardisation and conformity assessment in the EET sector, standards for product development in the tourism industry, tour guide standards, standards for hotel services, seminar on waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), seminars on eco-tourism, training for market monitoring bodies and trips to Austria for study.

Support for SMEs in implementing the New and Global Approach directives

Support for the Polish agency for corporate development and the Polish ministry of economy in implementing the New and Global Approach.

• Time frame: 2006 – 2008
• Region: Poland
• Funding: Various sources
• Budget: €1,500,000

Contribution from Austrian Standards

Training and instruction for Polish SMEs on the guidelines in the New and Global Approach as well as conformity assessments and their practical application.

Support to Azerbaijan in the field of technical regulations, standards and conformity assessment

Promoting cooperation between authorities in the EU and Azerbaijan aimed at capacity building in the administrative sector and supporting reform processes. This was one of the first twinning projects in Azerbaijan.

• Time frame: 2008 – 2010
• Region: Azerbaijan
• Funding:ENP
• Budget: €1,400,000

Contribution from Austrian Standards

€210,000

Austrian Standards worked with German partners to establish horizontal framework legislation for quality infrastructure in Azerbaijan that follows the approach used in Europe and meets the requirements of the WTO.

Technical assistance on the standards and quality management

Harmonisation of the technical regulations for supporting the liberalisation of foreign trade in the Syrian Arab Republic. These efforts centred on the areas of standardisation, conformity assessment, accreditation and meteorology.

• Time frame: 2008 – 2012
• Region: Syria
• Funding: MEDA
• Budget: €8,650,000

Contribution from Austrian Standards

• €100,000
• Introduction of processes and practices for standardisation and conformity assessment oriented towards international models
• Set-up of a national accreditation body working in accordance with ISO 17011 as well as a national certification system
• Support for testing and calibration laboratories in introducing quality management systems and new inspection procedures
• Providing information to economic players and consumers via campaigns aimed at disseminating information and raising awareness

Achieving highest safety and quality in construction

Harmonisation of national regulations and standards using the Eurocodes, including de-facto implementation and withdrawal of conflicting standards, as well as creating awareness.

• Time frames: 2012 – 2013
• Region: Montenegro
• Funding: IPA
• Budget: €700,000

Contribution from Austrian Standards

€670,000

Defining responsibilities and time frame, analysing the current situation, process of preparing, translating and withdrawing documents and measures aimed at raising awareness.

International tender for services to enhance the capacity of the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies, Nepal Bureau of Standard & Metrology and Department of Food Technology and Quality Control of the Government of Nepal and Value Chain

Capacity building at the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies (MoCS) and related institutions.

• Time frame: 2014 – 2018
• Region: Nepal
• Funding: €3,800,000

Contribution from Austrian Standards

• €100,000
• Support for planning and implementation in the areas of trade policy, trade agreements and trade promotion
• Strengthening the quality infrastructure system, particularly institutional capacities for sanitary and phytosanitary as well as technical barriers to trade
• Support for developing the value chain, with a special focus on coffee

MENA-STAR project to strengthen institutional infrastructure on standards and regulations to support business and industry in Middle East And North Africa (MENA) during 2013 – 2017

Strengthening the institutions that develop standards and support their application as well as enabling the use of standards by stakeholders in the private sector.

• Time frame: 2015 – 2018
• Region:Egypt, Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, State of Palestine, Syria, Tunisia (implementation suspended in Libya and Syria)
• Funding: ISO/SIDA

Contribution from Austrian Standards

€50,000

Strengthening the capacity of the Ukrainian National Standardization Body

Improving the economic environment in Ukraine, its competitive position, innovative capability and integration in the EU single market by developing the national quality infrastructure.

• Time frame: 2018 – 2020
• Region:Ukraine
• Funding: European Commission
• Budget:€1,000,000

Contribution from Austrian Standards

• €180,000
• Creating a Ukrainian standardisation system compatible with that in the EU
• Implementing the provisions in the Association Agreement / Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (AA/DCFTA) in the area of technical barriers to trade (TBT)

LDC Programme 2022 – 2025

Covering the need for standardisation and complying with the basic principles and proven methods of standardisation.

• Time frame: 2022 – 2025
• Region: Chad, Ethiopia, Laos, Lesotho, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Togo, Uganda.
• Funding: ISO

Contribution from Austrian Standards

€30,000 (to date)

Providing practical advice and tailored support to help selected standardisation organisations create a customised programme for the topic areas of greatest strategic relevance.