Austria Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in austria, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Standards for Trade
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Overview

Austria has a highly regulated economy with a mix of binding and non-binding standards. The national standards body is the Austrian Standards Office (ASO), located in Vienna. It collaborates with industry in the development and implementation of Austrian, EU, and international (ISO) standards. The ASO posts a work plan on its website. Proposed standards not subject to a European standard, including international standards, are considered for inclusion in the regulatory agenda. The process is inclusive and includes public comment periods during which interested parties can submit comment in German or English. The U.S. Embassy is not aware of any standards currently under consideration in Austria that would negatively impact U.S. products. The ASO website is also available in English: https://www.austrian-standards.at/en.

Standards

Austria is a member of the European Union and adheres to EU standards requirements. Products tested and certified in the United States to U.S. standards may need to be retested and re-certified for compliance with EU requirements. When products are not regulated by specific EU technical legislation, they are always subject to the EU’s General Product Safety Directives, as well as possible additional national requirements. EU legislation and standards are harmonized across the Member States and European Economic Area countries to allow for the free flow of goods. For detailed information on harmonized trade standards, see the U.S. Commercial Service’s Commercial Guide for the European Union.  Also, please review this useful video on the CE Mark: https://www.trade.gov/ce-marking.

Testing, Inspection and Certification

Austria is a full participant in the European Union standards testing, inspection, and certification regime. It is home to testing bodies that certify compliance with European regulations where applicable and accepts the certification of notified bodies that test products in other EU countries. In cases where no mandatory EU standard exists, Austrian or ISO standards may be imposed.

Publication of Technical Regulations

The Austrian Standards Office publishes international, European Union, and Austrian standards and technical regulations.

Use ePing to review proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures. 

The ePing SPS&TBT platform (https://epingalert.org/), or “ePing”, provides access to notifications made by World Trade Organization (WTO) Members under the Agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), distributed by the WTO from January 16, 1995 to present.  ePing is available to all stakeholders free of charge and does not require registration unless the user wishes to receive customized e-mail alerts.  Use it to browse notifications on past as well as new draft and updated product regulations, food safety and animal and plant health standards and regulations, find information on trade concerns discussed in the WTO SPS and TBT Committees, locate information on SPS/TBT Enquiry Points and notification authorities, and to follow and review current and past notifications concerning regulatory actions on products, packaging, labeling, food safety and animal and plant health measures in markets of interest. 

Notify U.S., operated and maintained by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) since 2003 to distribute and provide access to notifications (and associated draft texts) made under the WTO TBT Agreement for US stakeholders, has reached its end of life. Per obligation under the TBT Agreement, each WTO Member operates a national TBT (and an SPS) Enquiry Point.  National TBT Enquiry Points are authorized to accept comments and official communications from other national TBT Enquiry Points, which are NOT part of the WTO or the WTO Secretariat.  All comment submissions from U.S. stakeholders, including businesses, trade associations, U.S domiciled standards development organizations and conformity assessment bodies, consumers, or U.S. government agencies on notifications to the WTO TBT Committee should be sent directly to the USA WTO TBT Inquiry Point.  Refer to the comment guidance at https://tsapps.nist.gov/notifyus/data/guidance/guidance.cfm for further information. This guidance is provided to assist U.S. stakeholders in the preparation and submission of comments in response to notifications of proposed foreign technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures.

Contact Information

Austria

Austrian Standards Office

Heinestraße 38, A-1020 Wien

Tel: 43.1.213.00-0

mailto: office@austrian-standards.at

 

European Union

CEN- European Committee for Standardization

Avenue Marnix 17  

B – 1000 Brussels, Belgium  

Tel: 32.2.550.08.11  

Fax: 32.2.550.08.19  

 

CENELES- European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization

Avenue Marnix 17  

B – 1000 Brussels, Belgium  

Tel: 32.2.519.68.71  

Fax: 32.2.519.69.15  

 

ETSI- European Telecommunications Standards Institute

Route des Lucioles 650  

Sophia Antipolis  

F – 06560 Valbonne France  

Tel: 33.4.92.94.42.00  

Fax: 33.4.93.65.47.16  

 

SBS- Small Business Standards

4, Rue Jacques de Lalaing  
B – 1040 Brussels  
Tel: 32.2.285.07.27  Fax : +32-2/230.78.61

 

ANEC- European Association for the Co-ordination of Consumer Representation in Standardization  

Avenue de Tervuren 32, Box 27  

B – 1040 Brussels, Belgium  

Tel: 32.2.743.24.70  

Fax: 32.2.706.54.30

 

ECOS- European Environmental Citizens Organization for Standardization

Rue d’Edimbourg 26  

B – 1050 Brussels, Belgium  

Tel: 32.2.894.46.68

Fax: 32.2.894.46.10  

 

EOTA- European Organization for Technical Assessment

Avenue des Arts 40  

B – 1040 Brussels, Belgium  

Tel: 32.2.502.69.00  

Fax: 32.2.502.38.14  

Standards Attache

Mr. Jim Curtis

U.S. Mission to the European Union

mailto: Jim.Curtis@trade.gov

Direct Dial: 32.2.811. 5034