Fully accessible timeline

The Österreichische Normenausschuss für Industrie und Gewerbe ÖNIG(Austrian Standards Committee for Industry and Commerce) is founded at the House of Industry on 23 September. Around 400 experts develop mechanical, electrical and automotive engineering standards. The first president is Wilhelm Exner, initiator of scientific-technical institutions, such as TGM, the Technical Museum, TÜV and the Austrian Business Association.

The first standard is published. ÖNORM M 1501 defines metrical threads. Updated multiple times, it remains effective until 2018.

The third international conference of national standardizing associations is held in New York. It saw the birth of the International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations (ISA). Austria is also represented among the 18 participants – by ÖNIG’s Vice-President Paul Bretschneider.

ÖNIG celebrates its 10th anniversary and, subsequently, hosts the first international standardization meeting in Vienna.

Re-promulgation of the Federal Constitutional Law by ordinance of the Federal Chancellor of 1 January 1930: Legislation on standardization becomes a federal competence (Section 1 Art. 10 (1)).

To mark standardized products, a special collective trademark is registered – subsequently known as ÖNORM GEPRÜFT.

The activities of standardization continuously widen. Following the examples of Germany, Great Britain and Sweden, ÖNIG changes its name to ÖNA – Österreichischer Normenausschuss (Austrian Standards Committee).

The end (I): Upon Austria’s Anschluss into Nazi Germany, independent Austrian standardization work ends. At the last general assembly on 25 May, ÖNA is dissolved and becomes the “Viennese branch office of the German Standardization Committee DNA”.

The end (II). Due to the war, the Federation of the National Standardizing Associations (ISA) ceases its activities.

A new start (I). Shortly after the reconstitution of the Republic of Austria in 1945, ONA already resumes independent standardization work.

The “Dinorm” (DIN) standards introduced during the Nazi regime remain in effect, but are gradually replaced by “Oenorm” standards.

A new start (II). On 14 October, 25 national standardization organizations meet in London to set up the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) which begins its activities on 23 February 1947.

ÖNA is a founding member and, one year later, already manages two international secretariats: firefighting apparatus and reinforced concrete.

“OeNORM” and “OeN” are registered as trademarks.

The first Standardization Act defines the legal framework for standardization work in Austria.

For the first time, Austria is represented on the ISO Council, the top management body of the International Organization for Standardization, for a three-year term.

Start of European Standardization: The national standardization bodies of the EEC and EFTA countries start harmonizing their national standards and establish the European Standards Coordinating Committee (Comité Européen de Coordination des Normes, CEN) that subsequently evolved into the European Committee for Standardization (Comité Européen de Normalisation, CEN).

Upon the invitation of ÖNA, the CEN members meet in Austria (Salzburg) for the first time. CEN already has 39 working groups co-ordinating diverse fields of activities.

A technical committee of ISO draws up the first definition of standardization. It states that standardization is based on “the findings of science, technology and experience”.

ÖNA is renamed Österreichisches Normungsinstitut (Austrian Standards Institute) to better reflect the diversity of subjects covered by standards.

The name is abbreviated ON instead of ÖN because the letter Ö would result in “difficulties in foreign languages and electronic data processing”.

First World Standards Day. ISO proclaims the day of its official foundation (14 October 1946) World Standards Day. Ever since, it has been celebrated every year together with IEC (electrical engineering) and ITU (telecommunications) to raise awareness of the importance of international standards.

The amended Standardization Act becomes effective.

The first European Standard (ÖNORM EN 2 “Classification of fires”) is adopted.

ISO publishes “International Standards” – officially designated as such – for the first time. Previously its documents had been called “ISO Recommendations”.

CEN holds its annual General Assembly in Vienna, just as in 1997. ON presents “Norm & Form”, a calendar and exhibition project featuring standard-compliant products winning awards for their design there. The exhibition is also shown in Brussels twice.

After having moved for four times all over Vienna since 1945, ON and all its departments move into its current building at Heinestraße 38.

With the “New Approach”, standardization takes on a significant role in the development of the internal market. Ever since, harmonized European Standards have supported compliance with the essential requirements of European directives. They are drawn up on the basis of EU and EFTA mandates in the technical committees of CEN and CENELEC (electrical engineering).

By setting up the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), a European standardization organization dedicated to telecommunications is created.

ON is the national standards organization representing Austria in ETSI and joins ETSI as a member in 2016.

CEN and ISO lay a new foundation for their co-operation. The Vienna Agreement, signed at ON in Vienna, helps avoid duplication.

To better represent the interests of consumers in standardization, the Consumer Council is set up at ON by a decision of the Austrian Council of Ministers.

In the year of Austria’s accession to the EU, ON celebrates its 75th anniversary at a festive event held in the hall of the Belvedere Palace where the Austrian State Treaty was signed in 1955. In his speech, Federal President Dr. Thomas Klestil lauded the “brilliant idea of standardization”.

Start of international consulting activities: ON organizes consulting and training programmes for enterprises, organizations and public authorities in various parts of the world, first of all in the transition countries of Eastern Europe.

Publication of the first ONR: ONRs meet the growing need of the economy for normative documents that can be developed faster and in a more flexible way than classic standards. International examples are CEN Workshop Agreements and ISO Technical Specifications.

At the festive event celebrating the 80th anniversary of ON in the Mozart Hall of Wiener Konzerthaus, the waltz “Normen” (Standards), opus 139, by Josef Strauss is performed.

A scientific study covering Germany, Switzerland and Austria shows: Standardization contributes around 25 percent to economic growth and around € 2.5 billion (as per 2020) to GDP.

Analyses performed in the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada yield similar results.

In the run-up to the Eastern Enlargement on 1 May 2004, the number of CEN and CENELEC members also rises. By the end of 2003 all the national standardization organizations of the ten accession countries are full members of the “European standardization community”. Bulgaria and Romania follow in 2007. Today CEN and CENELEC have 34 members.

Foundation of Austrian Standards plus GmbH: This subsidiary of ON is in charge of sales and services, training as well as certification. Its objective is to expand customer-focused value-added services and innovative offerings related to standards.

Österreichisches Normungsinstitut becomes the Austrian Standards Institute. This name change of 2009 takes account of an increasing international orientation – just like the name change of 2018 to Austrian Standards International – Standardization and Innovation.

“Construction norms” – i.e. not only standards but also legislation, regulations, grant guidelines, etc. – are criticized for pushing up the cost of building and housing. Therefore, Austrian Standards launches the “Austrian dialogue forum on construction – working together for clear and simple rules for building” together with the Federal Construction Trade Organization in order to initiate solutions and simplifications.

On 1 January, the new Standardization Act becomes effective after controversial discussions – also at the international level. In spite of a more difficult framework, Austrian Standards takes on the tasks resulting from the new Standardization Act “out of responsibility for Austria as a business location and based on great trust”.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) – the largest professional organization of electrical and electronics engineers and scientists – opens its European office in Vienna. The IEEE’s European Technology Centre is located on the premises of Austrian Standards.

Austrian Standards celebrates its 100th anniversary.

CEN and CENELEC hold their joint annual General Assembly 2020 in Vienna.