Partner to the State

Standardization is an instrument of self-management for all those active in the economic sector. Standards serve society as a whole, not the economic interests of an individual entity. To ensure this, all stakeholders in standardization must have access to standards work. Issues regarding the safety and welfare of the general public are dealt with by experts representing public authorities at the Federal, state and communal level.

 
In turn, the state refers to DIN Standards in its legislation rather than trying to draw up its own specifications. Thus standards contribute to deregulation. A system in which a government service is funded and operated through a partnership of government and a private sector organization (such as DIN) is called a public-private partnership (PPP). The PPP principle has been a feature of standardization in Germany for over 90 years and was formally documented in a "Standards Agreement" over 30 years ago (see below). This Agreement was a model for a similar cooperation at the European level called the "New Approach".